The Shining

[CrockyBetter]

I watched The Shining today for the first time ever. I thought it was going to be scary, given that its a "psychological horror". I didn't find it at all scary! Thought it was a load of rubbish to be honest!

Thanks, LeFlic! No, I just review books as a hobby (and for freebies, although I’ll always be honest).

I’m not that well up on modern actors, so not sure who I would cast. Jack has to be someone with a good range. You can’t just choose someone whose trademark is “a bit unstable” and ask them to turn it up to 11 by the end, as with Nicholson. Off the top of my head, Heath Ledger could do that, but that’s not possible now.
I think the closest I’ve seen anything get to the tone of the book is the American Horror Story series. Evan Peters could possibly do justice to Jack.
The important thing would be getting as much of the backstory in, for all the characters, including the ‘monsters’. The animated corpse in the bath was an older lady with a string of younger men as escorts, for instance. She isn’t just a Jump Scare, she’s a recurring nightmare who is trapped in her own personal Hell. In another hotel she would have remained a source of income for gigolos and amusement for the staff, but The Overlook took her weakness and made it endlessly terrible when triggered by living people.

King really didn't want Jack Nicholson in the role as he'd just come off the back of the success of Cuckoo's Nest, so viewers saw him as a maniac instantly.
Also wanted to add to the defence of Shelley Duvall, she was really ill during filming, he hair was falling out amongst other things due to the way Kubrick treated her.

I think the film is great but not especially scary and a bit confusing. I love Stephen King but haven't read this book so I might give it a go.

Agree Wendy is a useless female lead. Did find the sections with the little girls quite terrifying. But what was the relevance of Jack being in the photo at the end? I didn't understand that? Also the room - 237 or whatever it was - what was so important about that room? Did the murders happen in there? Was the lady who emerged from the bath meant to be Grady's wife? I just didn't think it was clear in the film. Maybe the book explains it better.

Agree that Pet Semetary book and film are utterly terrifying. I couldn't sleep after reading it.

I’d like to see Christopher Nolan direct it. He’s excellent at revealing layers of time and psyche. He adapted The Prestige wonderfully, too. Trouble is, I don’t think any decent director would take it on, due to the Kubrick shadow and inevitable comparisons.

The woman in 237 is a lonely old women who hired male escorts at the hotel Dollycarton81.

@Saucery really?!?! Is that explained in the film at all? Must have missed it if so. I think the problem with a lot of adaptations is that they assume you must have read the book so they throw in things like that without filling explaining in it the film on the presumption you will already know what's happening.

The book is fantastic! Really creepy! I thought the film was crap to be honest.

Kubrick treated Shelley Duvall appallingly - wish she'd've told him to fuck off.

The scene in the film where Wendy has the knife and she's waving it about and shaking, was a result of a stream of abuse and something like 130+ takes that Kubrick made her do. She was exhausted.

[quote Dollycarton81]@Saucery really?!?! Is that explained in the film at all? Must have missed it if so. I think the problem with a lot of adaptations is that they assume you must have read the book so they throw in things like that without filling explaining in it the film on the presumption you will already know what's happening. [/quote]
No, not explained in the film iirc, just lifted out for the shock value. The people in the ballroom have their own backstory too - debauched parties where it’s hinted things went too far etc. In the book there are conversations with the maintenance man and Halloran the cook before they leave (the Boiler creeps, oh yes, she creeps.......) which covers some of the folklore around the place.

I don’t think you can do the book justice in under 12 hour long episodes tbh! But with the likes of American Horror Story and True Blood having taken the time to develop characters along with the horror element I’m not sure it would be possible to start The Shining from scratch now.

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit

The scene in the film where Wendy has the knife and she's waving it about and shaking, was a result of a stream of abuse and something like 130+ takes that Kubrick made her do. She was exhausted.

For a book about male violence it’s ironic that the stately figures of film at the time were pretty much all fully paid up members of that club 😞

@dayswithaY

The film hasn't aged well - the bit at the end with Jack Nicholson's frozen face made me laugh out loud and Wendy is awful. But being alone in a huge empty hotel, Danny turning blind corners with the camera at floor level, the murdered girls - it's terrifying! The end seemed a bit rushed which lets it down but it's a great film with so many conspiracy theories about it - the moon landings, Native Americans etc, it's fascinating.

The conspiracy theories about the film are interesting, and the way Kubrick incorporated elements of Freud's Theory of the Uncanny into the script and the layout of the set.

I'm definitely going to read the book now!

@Dollycarton81

I'm definitely going to read the book now!

Yay! There’s a lot of domestic horror before you even get to The Overlook. Alcoholism, worry about your child, employment, wasps........ Hope you enjoy it as King intended it to be ‘seen’.

I like the film but I really want to read the book now! Anyone seen Ready Player One? There's a cool bit where they kind of go into the film

Liked the movie but absolutely loved the book and how it peeled back Torrence's layers better. Also loved all the back stories behind the characters trapped at the hotel.

The woman in the bath was definitely the scariest for me, followed by the twins in the hallway 🙈

Shelley Duvall's treatment was awful though. I remember thinking she was a crap actress, but then watched behind the scenes interviews on the special edition DVD and saw how Kubrick and Jack Nicholson were giving her such a terrible time