Horror logo

Stephen King Hates "The Shining". Why?

Lost in translation

By Caton BerryPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
2

We all know it. We all love it. The Halloween season is upon us and, appropriately, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is playing on many of our televisions. Some consider it to be the epitome of horror films. Seriously. Look up any list of the greatest horror films of all time, and this one is likely to be on the list, if not at the very top. It's an adaptation of a book written by the master of horror himself, Stephen King. So why is it that King has never been fond of the film?

Stephen King is one of the most talented writers out there. He has written over 60 novels in addition to his other works. As such, King has a very strong connection to his original manuscript for the story. Many of his gripes are not necessarily with the quality of the film itself, but rather how his iconic story was translated from the page to the screen.

King considers The Shining to be one of his most personal written works. To be fair, both the novel and the film do share the same basic plot outline, but one of the primary differences is how the two different versions of the story end. In the book, Jack Torrance shows an incredible amount of dedication to his family, warning them to run away before he murders his wife, Wendy, and Danny, his young son. The movie quite literally ends with Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, turning into a human popsicle. The film version of Jack does not really get much in the way of redemption.

In his film, Stanley Kubrick puts a lot of emphasis on Jack's rising insanity. However, according to King, Jack Torrance sort of has a duality when it comes to his way of thinking. Jack was written as a character who was torn between two big challenges, his alcoholism and the obstacles he faces while staying at the hotel. Jack is portrayed as a well-meaning man with troubles, and King's intent was for the reader to wonder if Jack would, indeed, go mad. However, according to King, Nicholson's performance leaves little question about this. From the moment he appears onscreen, the viewer instantly gets the feeling that Jack is a little bit crazier than the average joe.

It is worth noting that the portrayal of Jack Torrance is not the only portrayal King had a gripe with. He is also very outspoken on how Wendy, played by Shelley Duvall, was presented in the film. While it is not so much her performance that he has a problem with, he takes issue with the fact that the film version of Wendy is much weaker than the character he created for his novel.

The novel presents Wendy as a much more layered character with an incredible amount of personality. She is not just a hysterical woman who is afraid of everything. She is a woman who will do anything to save her family and protect her young son.

In the film, however, the Wendy character seems to always be in fear. While Duvall certainly did an excellent job portraying THAT version of Wendy, King felt as though the film adaptation took away much of the character's depth and individuality. In an interview, he claimed that Duvall's version of Wendy was "one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film. She's basically just there to scream and be stupid. And that's not the woman I wrote about."

While King intended for his novel to have some sense of warmth and familiarity, he felt that the Kubrick film abandoned that for a tone that was more on edge and, for lack of a better word, typical for a horror film. In King's opinion, the film completely and intentionally goes against his vision for the story.

Although The Shining has now become a staple of the Halloween season, it's interesting that the film wasn't initially well received by critics when it was first released. It didn't earn a whole lot of money at the box office, and it took time for the film to gain the notoriety it has today.

Regardless of King's feelings, the film, as well as the book, has continued to become synonymous with the horror genre. The Shining is a story that earns the title of Horror Icon.

movie review
2

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.