In the highly anticipated sequel to Stephen King's The Shining, adult Danny Torrance struggles with the dark events of his childhood at the Overlook Hotel. He yearns for a life of peace from the specters that haunt his dreams, but the unique gift he possesses only draws them closer until he learns of a young teen named Abra who's life may be even more imperiled. Together they must battle both the ghosts of the past and their enemies of the present, such as the True Knot, a cult of immortals who feed on the "shine" to stave off death.

RELATED: Doctor Sleep: 10 Hidden Connections To Stephen King's Other Stories You Didn't Notice

Doctor Sleep expertly weaves shocking visual horrors with deeply seeded psychological turmoil, revealing that there are many different impetuses for fear. Its mixture of horror and fantasy, as well as its message of retaining faith in one's self despite familial dysfunction and crippling self-doubt, are reflected in several other film titles fans may want to explore.

The Shining

The Shining

For fans of Doctor Sleep, there's no better film to watch than its critically acclaimed predecessor, The Shining. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on Stephen King's electrifying novel, it serves as an origin story for Danny's developing boyhood gifts, as well as the abusive relationship he has with his father, the author turned seasonal caretaker of The Overlook Hotel.

RELATED: Doctor Sleep: 5 Reasons Why It's Better Than The Shining (& 5 Why It's Not)

Despite its name, the movie doesn't place as much importance on "the shining", and instead focuses more on the dark power of the hotel itself as a nexus for the forces of evil. Old and new fans will marvel at its striking visuals, strong acting, and psychological intrigue.

Hereditary

Annie Graham in Hereditary

Like Doctor Sleep, Hereditary is a film about the insidious hold family dysfunction can have on the psyche and explores the deep horrors it can inflict on the mental health of its members. One tragedy after another sends the Graham family on a descent into madness, desperate to escape a fate they may have inherited.

The film begins slowly, even innocently, prioritizing character development and strong performances in the same way as Doctor Sleep. It also features a climactic battle between the forces of good and evil that will leave viewers riveted.

IT (and Chapter Two)

Pennywise the Dancing Clown holding a balloon and smiling in It

Sometimes the best defense against the forces of darkness is a good offense, as the children (and later adults) of the IT  franchise soon discover in the reboot of the popular Stephen King novel from 1986. Over several decades they battle a malevolent entity known as "Pennywise the Dancing Clown" that lurks in the sewers of Derry, Maine every 27 years and thirsts for their flesh.

IT –as well as IT Chapter Two–focuses on the trials and tribulations of childhood on the cusp of adulthood, just as Doctor Sleep focuses on the shadows of the past looming large over the figure of the present. It's once facing his inner demons, the ones that stalk his boyhood memories, that Danny can defeat them.

Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary cat

One of Stephen King's most famous novels was turned into a film in 1989 and then remade in 2019, and both feature a doctor and his wife traveling to a remote area of rural Maine to raise their two children, unknowingly close to a burial ground where an unspeakable evil lurks waiting to be released.

RELATED: Pet Sematary's Church the Cat: 5 Differences From the Original Film (and 5 Things They Kept the Same)

The sense of the supernatural is strong in both films, emphasizing a mysticism that directly correlates to Doctor Sleep, especially in regards to Rose the Hat and her cohort. There are provocations that will follow fans home and into their dreams, waiting to be put into a box.

The Lodge

The Lodge movie 2020

Familial fissures and their inevitable eruption are the focus of the overlooked horror film The Lodge, which begins with a family's retreat to a winter cabin for the holidays, and descends into a psychotic whirlwind when the father abruptly leaves his children in the care of his new girlfriend Grace.

Isolated and without anyone nearby for miles in the snowy wilderness, the children begin to experience traumatic events when Grace's dark past is uncovered. Fans of specters, witchcraft, and mysticism will find frightening delights in this moody piece.

1408

John Cusack in 1408

Another film based on a Stephen King story by the same name, 1408 returns to his theme of haunted hotels by chronicling one man's stay at the Dolphin Hotel. Hoping to debunk its supernatural success as nothing more than superstitious nonsense, he doesn't heed the manager's warnings and begins to lose touch with reality.

As in The Shining, the main character is an author, who's received worldwide attention for writing about hauntings, paranormal activity, and ghost stories from the most skeptical of places. He may become a permanent resident of the Dolphin if he doesn't acknowledge the power it holds and respect it.

Needful Things

needful things 1993 max von sydow

Needful Things focuses on a mysterious man named Mr. Gaunt who descends upon a small town -in rural Maine, no less- to set up an antique shop, filled with exactly the thing that each townsperson wants most. Each purchase comes at a price, however, and the transaction will demand more than just money.

RELATED: 10 Times Max von Sydow Showed Up In Unexpected Places

Gaunt's manipulation of the townsfolk eventually turns them against one another, and they begin to incite the sort of violence that demands the Sheriff step in to contain. Soon the most morally righteous man in the town finds himself going toe-to-hoof with Satan himself.

The Turning

The Turning 2020

When a young woman takes a nanny position to help raise two young orphans, she finds their Gothic mansion charming and doesn't mind being isolated in the New England countryside. Soon her idyllic post becomes plagued by evil spirits and the siblings, already emotionally distant from the loss of their parents, have to get her help to contend with the estate's malevolent entity.

The Turningbased on the Henry James ghost story The Turning of the Screw, is a multi-generational ghost story that focuses on a place with a legacy of evil, and with spirits that must be freed in order to be stopped.

Insidious

Patrick Wilson inspecting someone from The Further in Insidious

The first in the Insidious franchise of films conceived by horror auteur James Wan, Insidious focuses on a young boy who, after an accident, becomes trapped in a world somewhere between waking and dreaming. His father, haunted by terrible entities from the other side who want desperately to invade his son's body, must go on a perilous journey through the netherworld to save him.

A film that weaves the fascinating powers of astral projection into its tale of horror, Insidious is not only an incredibly frightening film but one that subverts typical genre tropes. The inclusion of astral projection is just one of the many compelling aspects that make it a unique contribution.

The Dead Zone

Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone

Sci-fi and horror director David Cronenberg presents The Dead Zone, about a man who comes out of a coma only to discover that several years have passed, and he possesses certain psychic gifts. His girlfriend has moved on, and he's terrified of his new powers, which grant him the future memories of another person with just a mere touch.

The film explores the concept of accountability and choice and poses a provocative question to its viewers when the man touches an aspiring politician and sees the danger of him being elected to public office. When he resolves to kill him before he can ultimately succeed in implementing his ideologies, he does so at the risk of self-destruction.

 NEXT: 10 Shows To Watch If You Like ‘The Shining’ And ‘Doctor Sleep’