Summary
- Despite being one of the best horror films of all time, Stephen King has consistently expressed his disdain for the adaptation of The Shining.
- King initially had mixed thoughts about the film, praising aspects like its visuals, but has become more critical of it over time.
- King's main criticisms of the film revolve around the lack of character development for Jack Torrance and the portrayal of Wendy Torrance.
The Shining is one of the most celebrated horror films ever made, but Stephen King isn't a fan of the adaptation of his story and has been vocal about it for decades. Stephen King has been writing novels since the 1970s, making 1977's The Shining one of his earliest works. The film was adapted shortly after in 1980 by legendary director Stanley Kubrick. The Shining stars Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall as Jack and Wendy Torrance and is centered around the family's stay at a remote, haunted hotel during the winter in Colorado. As he unearths the hotel's secrets, Jack's sanity deteriorates.
The Shining is almost unanimously considered one of the best horror movies of all time, proving that Kubrick could succeed in any genre. Stephen King has had many of his stories adapted, even offering praise for the poorly received film The Dark Tower. However, he's been consistent with his stance on The Shining since the 1980s, expressing his disdain for the movie on multiple occasions. While his initial comments on the film from the '80s offer some amiable praise, his more recent opinions have been far more critical.
9 "There Are An Awful Lot Of Things About That Movie That I Think Are Flawless And Beautiful."
On The David Letterman Show in 1980, King began his commentary on The Shining with something positive. He said that he had mixed thoughts about the film but that there were things he found flawless and beautiful. Initially asked if he was pleased with Jack Nicholson's performance, King said, "I thought he did a wonderful job in The Shining. I enjoyed it very much." Over time, King has maintained that he thinks the film is visually beautiful, though he's since had some criticism about Nicholson's performance as the lead, Jack Torrance.
8 "I'd Given Stanley Kubrick A Live Grenade And He Heroically Threw His Body On It."
In the same David Letterman interview, Stephen King describes his negative feelings on the film, saying "There are other times when I feel as though I'd given Stanley Kubrick a live grenade, and he heroically threw his body on it," suggesting that Kubrick had taken his story in a different direction than King had anticipated. He went on to speak about the process of selling the rights to his novel and how he hadn't sought out any control over the film. He compared the process of selling a book to a movie studio to sending a child off to school, hoping it would do well.
Every Stephen King Movie Franchise, Ranked Worst To Best
Stephen King movie franchises are surprisingly rare, though many of them show why the author personally dislikes sequels based on his work.
7 "Jack Torrance Has No Arc In That Movie."
One of Stephen King's loudest critiques of The Shining was the adaptation of Jack Torrance. "The character of Jack Torrance has no arc in that movie. Absolutely no arc at all," he says, comparing it to his book. He describes Nicholson's Jack Torrance as being crazy from the beginning. "All he does is get crazier. In the book, he’s a guy who’s struggling with his sanity and finally loses it." (via IndieWire) He insists that the book version of Jack's descent allows the reader to sympathize with the character better.
6 "It’s Like A Big, Beautiful Cadillac With No Engine Inside It."
Stephen King may have described the visuals of The Shining as beautiful, but he still believed the film lacked substance. He explained his feelings, saying "I think ‘The Shining’ is a beautiful film and it looks terrific and as I’ve said before, it’s like a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it." Many movie lovers would disagree with this opinion on of the film's ambiguous nature. There are tons of theories about The Shining, as fans have continued discussing it in new ways for decades. The Shining certainly has its nuances, which can be attributed to Kubrick's meticulous attention to detail.
5 "In The Movie, There’s No Tragedy."
Stephen King has written many great horror novels with the ideology that scares work best when viewers care about the characters. He felt that Jack Torrance's arc in the book was a tragedy that viewers would sympathize with. Without that arc, Stephen King believed The Shining lacked the tragic elements of the original novel. The portrayal of Torrance is notably different from the book, with Jack Nicholson having written a scene for The Shining himself.
4 "With Kubrick's The Shining, I Thought It Was Very Cold."
A comparison Stephen King has made multiple times is that he felt that Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining was cold, while his book was warm. "The other real difference is at the end of my book the hotel blows up, and at the end of Kubrick’s movie the hotel freezes. That’s a difference," he says. In another interview he simply says "I'm not a cold guy." (via BBC) He describes his books as being very warm and inviting, wanting to take the reader on a journey with the characters, whereas he felt the film version was like watching people who were "ants in an ant hill."
3 "One Of The Most Misogynistic Characters Ever Put On Film."
Stephen King agrees with one of The Shining's biggest critiques, saying that the depiction of Wendy Torrance lacked substance. Regarding the matter, King said "Shelley Duvall as Wendy is really one of the 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." The film adaptation takes away qualities from Wendy's character in the book, instead focusing primarily on her overwhelming fear in the nightmare situation.
2 "Stanley Kubrick Saw The Haunting As Coming From Jack Torrance."
In Turner Classic Movie's documentary A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King, the author discusses his feelings for the film. He recalls a conversation between him and Stanley Kubrick where they exchanged their perceptions of ghost stories and ideas of the afterlife. In King's novel, he wanted to express the idea of malignant spirits haunting good people, whereas Kubrick saw the haunting coming from Jack Torrance. He believes they had a fundamental difference in opinion on the source of the evil in The Shining, which led to their tonally different stories.
1 "I Loved Everything Else The Man Did. I Just Didn't Like That One."
Despite not having much praise for The Shining, Stephen King expresses that he loved Stanley Kubrick's other work. In the IndieWire interview, Kubrick states "He’s made some of the movies that mean a lot to me, ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ for one and ‘Paths of Glory,’ for another." Kubrick has such a wide variety of films that there's something for everyone to enjoy. It's understandable for Stephen King to have strong feelings about The Shining's book changes, as there are dramatic differences from his original novel.
