From Doctor Sleep to Crawl: The Cinematography Behind 8 of 2019’s Most Eye-Popping Horror Films

Michael Fimognari on Doctor Sleep

The Approach: Recovery haunted by the ghosts of addiction

How They Did It: Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan and I began our process as we always do: with a deep dive into the themes and characters before creating the aesthetic. We approached Doctor Sleep with immense respect for Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, but we primarily focused on the story of Dan Torrance’s (Ewan McGregor) complicated adult life and his relationship with Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran). 

We embraced the responsibility of telling author Stephen King’s original version of Doctor Sleep, and as fans of both that novel and The Shining, we understood the honor and expectations that came with stepping into the Colorado Lounge, Room 237, and the hallways of the Overlook Hotel.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining offered some inspiration on Doctor Sleep‘s framing, but not so much in lighting. I’m generalizing, but essentially The Shining prioritized color in paints and dyes—wardrobe and hotel decor—while we chose to explore the complexity of Dan’s road to recovery in Doctor Sleep with a range of chromatic light. The threats to Dan and Abra exist in a world outside the Overlook Hotel in spaces that many of us know in everyday life but that don’t often intersect, which we linked in a combination of yellow-warm autumn tones and cyan shadows—a color twist that isn’t the entire “look” of Doctor Sleep, but still a few steps away from ordinary.

The Takeaway: Every story we tell offers an essential question: From where do we draw our inspiration? Doctor Sleep is a descendant of something so well-known and loved, so our launch point was set. We faced the challenge of being true to our present narrative while exceeding the expectation of elevating the Doctor Sleep that came before us.

Also Read: A Quiet Place, Hereditary, and the Tips and Tricks Behind 9 More Films With 2018’s Scariest Cinematography

Tech Box

Shooting days: 50
Camera: ARRI Alexa 65
Lenses: DNA Primes
Lighting: Primarily ARRI SkyPanels
Picture post/DI: Company 3/Jill Bogdanowicz

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