It would be easy to dismiss Stephen King, based on his first three feature film adaptations, as a prolific author of novels about people with psychic abilities.
Still in my top ten to this day. Scared the crap out of me when I first saw it at 11 years old and it still does! The clinical detachment with how its shot and acted makes it seem like you're watching a cursed film from the very first frame. No wonder so many conspiracy theories have emerged from it? That the horror is happening in broad daylight, in perfectly framed clarity, also adds to the sense that there's no escape.
I love your description of The Shining being "...The Great Gatsby reconceived as a ghost story about a man willing to kill his own family with an axe for his shot at the American dream." How our sense of purpose and duty can be so easily manipulated by malevolent forces simply because people lack meaning and direction in their lives. A suicide mission is still a mission.
I've always been in awe of this film, and so at first I was annoyed at Stephen King's extreme criticism. Now of course I see that he was at least partly right: The film is a poor interpretation of King's characters. However, it is still a brilliant film in its own right. King's own adaptation (the TV miniseries) was massively dull and bland, so it's clear how important a filmmaker's eye is to bringing such a story to life.
For those wishing for the best of both worlds -- i.e., a faithful book adaptation combined with engaging filmmaking -- the closest we'll probably get is Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep.
I went into Doctor Sleep with the lowest of expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. A lot of that had to do with Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, it's been a while since I'd seen a really sexy personification of evil, and she was a standout. Also, seeing it in IMAX probably helped. It certainly made up for the lame visit to the Overlook that takes place in Ready Player One, blergh.
I agree that The Shining won't seem as scary when viewed in the comfort of one's own home, a lot of vintage horror really doesn't work on the same level, no matter the size of your flatscreen. I liked the movie just fine when I watched it at home, but it does have a more visceral quality when seen in a darkened theatre with the sound played loud, which is what Kubrick always intended. I definitely felt it when I finally saw it in a theatre last year, I felt trapped in the Overlook, to some degree, and it was more than a bunch of cool Steadicam shots and Nicholson's unnuanced performance.
Great long-form article. I enjoyed the extra time and effort that went into this to discuss what is unarguably an iconic movie. Stephen King's (book) version is still great too (the sequel is really good too). Looking forward to more Stephen King reviews (even if you have to pivot formats for Maximum Overdrive and Thinner).
As a new subscriber, I definitely feel better about myself and my life. That $5 per month is a bargain. My only wish were to be a non-subscriber so I could have the pleasure of subscribing again!
I remember reading The Shining at 12, immediately after devouring Salem's Lot (A horror story set in Maine? It's just over the border from here, and I'd been there!) and shortly after that the movie came out, but even though I knew the story inside and out, it was Restricted in Canada (we have a hard R, no one under 18 admitted under any circumstances) and I couldn't get in at the theatre. So bummed!
I finally saw it on the big screen last year during Cineplex's month-long Kubrick fest, and it felt fresh and new to me, despite having watched it in multiple formats (yep, had the LaserDisc), the immersive you-are-there quality Kubrick brings to films like this, 2001 and Barry Lyndon (and Full Metal Jacket, well the first half, anyway) was in full effect, and because I knew it pretty well, I could spend time looking at the art on the walls, the furnishings in the hotel and other aspects of the production that help make it feel so real during the runtime. I also enjoyed searching for the three Alex Colville paintings that appear at various points, he's a local artist with an international reputation whose Hopper-influenced realism must have struck a chord with Kubrick in a big way.
THE SHINING is pretentious crap—the first horror movie with no horror in it, unless you find Jack Nicholson's overacting "terrifying" rather than laughable. The late Pauline Kael said its only value was as a mirror to Stanley Kubrick's own cabin fever, an assessment I agree with wholeheartedly.
Kubrick should have just written an original "I HATE MY WIFE, I HATE MY FAMILY, I HATE THE EXPECTATIONS HEAPED ON ME!" screenplay, and left Stephen King's novel alone.
My former wife called Kubrick "an overrated cameraman"—THE SHINING was the first time I thought she might be right....
Interesting take. I recall as a kid seeing the trailer, which was just the scene where the elevator doors open and, well, you know. It scared the crap out of me. Cut to a year or so later when I could see the film on HBO and it proved to be WAY too slow for me. I was indeed too young for its target audience. I caught it again in my late teens with some friends who LOVED it. Still thought it was pretty boring (although I did use the "I'm gonna bash your brains in" speech as a monologue in drama class because I thought it was hilarious). Tried it one more time in my early 30s as it was a given to me on DVD as a gift. This time I was able to appreciate it more, but one thing was consistent with each viewing - I never found it scary. Nothing ever held up to that elevator trailer.
The elevator trailer's good—which gave me hope for the movie itself.
Hopes that were dashed when I finally saw the movie—and I was still in college when the movie came out, so if I were ever going to think Kubrick was a genius, it was then.
I reviewed Wolf Man recently and was struck that it has the same dynamic as The Shining and a similar plot, but is nowhere near as effective or scary.
Still in my top ten to this day. Scared the crap out of me when I first saw it at 11 years old and it still does! The clinical detachment with how its shot and acted makes it seem like you're watching a cursed film from the very first frame. No wonder so many conspiracy theories have emerged from it? That the horror is happening in broad daylight, in perfectly framed clarity, also adds to the sense that there's no escape.
I love your description of The Shining being "...The Great Gatsby reconceived as a ghost story about a man willing to kill his own family with an axe for his shot at the American dream." How our sense of purpose and duty can be so easily manipulated by malevolent forces simply because people lack meaning and direction in their lives. A suicide mission is still a mission.
“Quiet laddie! Do you want to get sued?”
An absolutely terrifying movie.
I've always been in awe of this film, and so at first I was annoyed at Stephen King's extreme criticism. Now of course I see that he was at least partly right: The film is a poor interpretation of King's characters. However, it is still a brilliant film in its own right. King's own adaptation (the TV miniseries) was massively dull and bland, so it's clear how important a filmmaker's eye is to bringing such a story to life.
For those wishing for the best of both worlds -- i.e., a faithful book adaptation combined with engaging filmmaking -- the closest we'll probably get is Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep.
I went into Doctor Sleep with the lowest of expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. A lot of that had to do with Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, it's been a while since I'd seen a really sexy personification of evil, and she was a standout. Also, seeing it in IMAX probably helped. It certainly made up for the lame visit to the Overlook that takes place in Ready Player One, blergh.
I've grown to appreciate this film as I get older and view it more. I've never found it particularity scary but it is a lot of fun to watch!
I agree that The Shining won't seem as scary when viewed in the comfort of one's own home, a lot of vintage horror really doesn't work on the same level, no matter the size of your flatscreen. I liked the movie just fine when I watched it at home, but it does have a more visceral quality when seen in a darkened theatre with the sound played loud, which is what Kubrick always intended. I definitely felt it when I finally saw it in a theatre last year, I felt trapped in the Overlook, to some degree, and it was more than a bunch of cool Steadicam shots and Nicholson's unnuanced performance.
Great long-form article. I enjoyed the extra time and effort that went into this to discuss what is unarguably an iconic movie. Stephen King's (book) version is still great too (the sequel is really good too). Looking forward to more Stephen King reviews (even if you have to pivot formats for Maximum Overdrive and Thinner).
As a new subscriber, I definitely feel better about myself and my life. That $5 per month is a bargain. My only wish were to be a non-subscriber so I could have the pleasure of subscribing again!
I remember reading The Shining at 12, immediately after devouring Salem's Lot (A horror story set in Maine? It's just over the border from here, and I'd been there!) and shortly after that the movie came out, but even though I knew the story inside and out, it was Restricted in Canada (we have a hard R, no one under 18 admitted under any circumstances) and I couldn't get in at the theatre. So bummed!
I finally saw it on the big screen last year during Cineplex's month-long Kubrick fest, and it felt fresh and new to me, despite having watched it in multiple formats (yep, had the LaserDisc), the immersive you-are-there quality Kubrick brings to films like this, 2001 and Barry Lyndon (and Full Metal Jacket, well the first half, anyway) was in full effect, and because I knew it pretty well, I could spend time looking at the art on the walls, the furnishings in the hotel and other aspects of the production that help make it feel so real during the runtime. I also enjoyed searching for the three Alex Colville paintings that appear at various points, he's a local artist with an international reputation whose Hopper-influenced realism must have struck a chord with Kubrick in a big way.
The Shining is just a scary movie. The original trailer for the movie is utterly terrifying.
THE SHINING is pretentious crap—the first horror movie with no horror in it, unless you find Jack Nicholson's overacting "terrifying" rather than laughable. The late Pauline Kael said its only value was as a mirror to Stanley Kubrick's own cabin fever, an assessment I agree with wholeheartedly.
Kubrick should have just written an original "I HATE MY WIFE, I HATE MY FAMILY, I HATE THE EXPECTATIONS HEAPED ON ME!" screenplay, and left Stephen King's novel alone.
My former wife called Kubrick "an overrated cameraman"—THE SHINING was the first time I thought she might be right....
Interesting take. I recall as a kid seeing the trailer, which was just the scene where the elevator doors open and, well, you know. It scared the crap out of me. Cut to a year or so later when I could see the film on HBO and it proved to be WAY too slow for me. I was indeed too young for its target audience. I caught it again in my late teens with some friends who LOVED it. Still thought it was pretty boring (although I did use the "I'm gonna bash your brains in" speech as a monologue in drama class because I thought it was hilarious). Tried it one more time in my early 30s as it was a given to me on DVD as a gift. This time I was able to appreciate it more, but one thing was consistent with each viewing - I never found it scary. Nothing ever held up to that elevator trailer.
The elevator trailer's good—which gave me hope for the movie itself.
Hopes that were dashed when I finally saw the movie—and I was still in college when the movie came out, so if I were ever going to think Kubrick was a genius, it was then.
great work as always, sir!