It’s been nearly 50 years since this iconic horror classic was released, and in the decades since, it’s been lauded as one of the greatest films of all time—despite the author of the novel that inspired it hating it so much that he later went on to create what he considered a more faithful adaptation in the form of a television miniseries. And the debate over which version of the story is better has been raging ever since, with no clear winner in sight.
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We could only be talking about The Shining, originally written by Stephen King, which had its theatrical debut on May 23rd, 1980. It sits at an 83% critics rating, and a much more impressive 95% audience score. The film, like the novel, centers on Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who, hoping to get over his recent bout of writer’s block, takes the job of winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado. Alongside his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who begins suffering from haunting visions, Jack finds that he’s still unable to write. Danny’s mental health deteriorates as the visions worsen, and slowly, Jack begins to go mad as he discovers the hotel’s dark secrets.
As Far as Horror Goes, It’s Hard to Beat The Shining
The movie is still beloved by fans and critics alike for Kubrick’s masterful pacing of Jack’s descent into madness, as well as Nicholson and Duvall’s performances. Critic Sebastian Zavala Kahn masterfully sums it up, saying, “The Shining is many things, but in the strictest sense, it is a highly disturbing and expertly crafted experience that, more than forty years after its original release, remains as relevant as ever.”
As for whether fans prefer the book or the movie, it’s a pretty even split. Some are team King, arguing that Kubrick has Jack already a little mad at the start of the film, undermining the author’s intention for the hotel to be the source of his insanity. Other fans disagree, though, with one saying, “Nicholson isn’t playing it as crazy in the first few scenes, he’s just an asshole. He hates and resents his family before he ever gets to the hotel because he feels like they’ve held him back. The hotel magnifies what’s already present within him.” But some fans, and King himself, aren’t fans of this interpretation, with King having famously said, “In the book, he’s a guy who’s struggling with his sanity and finally loses it. To me, that’s a tragedy. In the movie, there’s no tragedy because there’s no real change.”
Feelings on the original story versus the adaptation aside, you’ve got two horror classics in your hands—a novel and a film that are nearly impossible to live up to in this modern age of the genre.
Which version of The Shining do you prefer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.
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