Why Stephen King Despises Kubrick’s The Shining, Explained
Stephen King hates The Shining so much he reshot it himself. Here’s why.
The Shining (1980) is considered one of the masterpieces of 80s psychological horror. But that fact didn't stop Stephen King, the author of the book on which the movie is based, from slamming Kubrick's iconic direction.
But what exactly did the King not like? Well, there are a lot of things.
Stephen King Hated How Jack Torrance Was Portrayed in The Shining
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At the heart of King's criticism is none other than Jack Torrance's character portrayal. In an interview with Rolling Stone, King didn't pull any punches when discussing the movie. He said:
“In the book, there’s an actual arc where you see this guy, Jack Torrance, trying to be good, and little by little he moves over to this place where he’s crazy. And as far as I was concerned, when I saw the movie, Jack was crazy from the first scene.”
King further elaborated on that point in a Deadline interview, claiming:
“In the movie, there’s no tragedy because there’s no real change.”
Stephen King Thought Wendy Torrance Portrayal Was 'Misogynistic'
Stephen King actually thought that Wendy's portrayal was offensive. Wendy in his book was not like this. In an interview to BBC, King said:
“Shelley Duvall as Wendy is really one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film. She's basically just there to scream and be stupid.”
He also seems to have issues with Duvall's casting overall.
“That’s an example of absolutely grotesque casting,” he said to Scraps From the Loft.
An Unexpected Character Stephen King Actually Liked From Kubrick’s The Shining
Well, there's one Torrance King actually liked and it was Danny. During The Drew Barrymore Show, King admitted:
“Well, I didn’t really like the movie that much, but I did like the little boy that played Danny Torrance.”
Stephen King Shot His Own Version of The Shining in 1997
Frustrated with Kubrick's interpretation, King eventually took the matters in his own hands and produced his own version of The Shining. While this adaptation stayed truer to the source material, it was far from perfect.
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The production suffered from dated special effects, inconsistent performances, and technical limitations. However, what it lacked in polish, it made up for in faithfulness to King's original vision.
If you’re interested to see King’s interpretation, you can find it on Amazon Video and Apple TV. Kubrick's version is available on Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, Apple TV and Amazon Video.
