The Shining persists in the public’s good graces as one of the best and scariest films in horror movie history. Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation is arguably tenfold more popular than Stephen King’s novel, but it’s up for debate whether or not the film is really better than the book. King, however, is adamant in his dislike for the film.
The legendary horror author seems to have struggled with many of the adaptations to his films. He admires Misery, Shawshank Redemption, and Stand by Me, but overall insists that “the movies have never been a big deal to [him]” (Vulture). He doesn’t see too many of them living up to his novels, and for good reason. While there are a few stellar adaptations of his work, many of the films are critically dismissed (Firestarter, Maximum Overdrive). King does not shy away from criticizing the film adaptations of his novels, but The Shining is perhaps the biggest gripe he has ever had with a film.
First and foremost, King has consistently expressed his disappointment with the characterization of Jack Torrance in the film. King felt that Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack portrayed him as a one-dimensional “madman” from the start, which overshadowed the promised characterization of the descent into madness. In contrast, King’s novel presents Torrance as a complex character, battling with his demons while trying to keep his sanity for his family. For King, The Shining is not simply a story of supernatural horror but a deeply personal exploration of a family’s disintegration and the destructive effects of alcoholism. King, who himself struggled with alcoholism, infused the story with his own experiences and emotions. Kubrick’s adaptation somewhat sidelines the novel’s psychological elements to make more room for the supernatural aspects, creating a more abstract and ambiguous narrative. This shift in focus disappointed King, as it undermined the emotional core of his story. Kubrick’s version of Jack portrays him as an angry and abusive man from the beginning of the story, effectively lessening the suspense and surprise surrounding Jack’s downward spiral into violence. King finds this aspect of the film far too explicit to be forgiven; “In the book, there’s an actual arc where you see this guy, Jack Torrance, trying to be good, and little by little he moves over to this place where he’s crazy. And as far as I was concerned, when I saw the movie, Jack was crazy from the first scene” (Rolling Stone).
Another point of contention is the portrayal of Wendy, Jack’s wife. In King’s novel, Wendy is a prominent and much stronger character, who faces both physical and psychological challenges during the course of her ordeal at the Overlook Hotel. In Kubrick’s adaptation, Wendy is shown to be weak and frail, leading her to become the subject of much criticism from King and other audiences alike. King found Wendy’s character to be a great disappointment, especially as “it’s so misogynistic. I mean, Wendy Torrance is just presented as this sort of screaming dishrag” (Rolling Stone). Shelley Duvall’s performance as Wendy has been the victim of decades of misogyny, mainly due to the constant screaming she was asked to do in the face of Jack’s abuse. Fans of the film have found her unbearable and whiny for as long as the movie has been out, even turning the traumatic scene of her hiding while Jack axes down the bathroom door into a meme. Overall, this proves Kubrick’s characterization did a great disservice to King’s version of the heroine.
Additionally, King had objections to Kubrick’s interpretation of Danny’s (played by Danny Lloyd) abilities. In the novel, Danny is presented as a young boy who possesses a much stronger psychic ability or “the shining”, that saves him and his family. He can read minds and communicate telepathically with others who “shine” according to the novel. He also suffers from fear-inducing prophetic visions. Kubrick reworked Danny’s abilities in the film by manifesting them in the form of an imaginary friend, depicted by Danny’s scratchy other voice yelling redrum and doing finger wiggles. Danny also has visions and a connection to Dick Hallorann (another character who “shines”—played by the iconic Scatman Crothers) but the explicitness of his powers that give the book its name are stripped from the film. His powers come more into play on the film scene with the 2019 adaptation of King’s Dr. Sleep, which follows Danny many years in the future and finds him explicitly dealing with “the shining.”
King expressed further dissatisfaction regarding the fact that the spirit of the Overlook Hotel was not as fleshed out in the movie. In the novel, the Overlook is a highly engaging and compelling character in its own right, menacing and malign throughout the story. But in Kubrick’s adaptation, the hotel feels like little more than a backdrop plucked out of Colorado rather than a primary focus of the story. Gone is its personification, in its place lies a maze of traps. In addition to this, King has stated that he had issues with how the movie adaptation handles some of the key scenes from the book, such as the hedge maze chase, which he felt was not as intense as Kubrick presented it. This connects to King’s feelings that Kubrick did not accurately portray the emotional core of the story.
King was also dissatisfied with the ending of Kubrick’s adaptation. “The book is hot, and the movie is cold; the book ends in fire, and the movie in ice” (Rolling Stone). Whereas in the novel, the climax revolves around the hotel’s boiler explosion, in the movie, Kubrick presents a much more abstract and surreal ending. Although some viewers appreciate this difference, King remained unsatisfied, preferring the book’s more explosive ending and the hints dropped in the story that lead right up to it.
Overall, it seems that King and Kubrick had fundamentally different visions for The Shining – one a more character-driven and emotionally driven tale of abuse and suspense, the other a much more stylized, esoteric interpretation of the novel with the scariest images known to man: twins and a baseball bat. While Kubrick’s version of The Shining may have received critical acclaim and become a classic horror film within its own right, it remains perhaps the most famous instance of the creator’s vision and the fans’ interpretation not aligning.
Sources:
Greene, Andy. “Stephen King: The Rolling Stone Interview” Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2014 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/stephen-king-the-rolling-stone-interview-191529/