I am sure you have all seen The Shining movie, how could you not have?
But have you read the book?
If not, I highly recommend it, it's actually better than the movie!
Both adaptions are classic and iconic, but the movie does deviate from the book a bit, with Kubrick wanting his own ideas to come to fruitation,
Stephen King, the author of the book, famously dislikes the movie because of this, and King felt Kubrick's interpretation of the book was too cold and distant, and that the film lacked the emotional depth of the novel.
In a lot of ways he is right, but that does not mean the movie isn't brilliant too, it's just different, and here are six ways in which the movie differs from the book.
The Ending
The endings are very different.
In the book the boiler explodes at the end that causes a massive explosion and destroys the hotel and in the movie, as you probably already know, Jack freezes to death in the maze.
The ending of the book symbolizes the hotel as a destructive forcewhile the movie ending more ties in with the isolation theme and arc of Kubricks version.
But I loved the twist ending of the movie it has to be said.
Character Development
In the book, Jack Torrance (Famously played by Jack Nicholson in the movie) is more of a sympathetic and complex character.
His struggles with his demons and descent into madness is quite gradual, and when reading the book, it provides you with much more insight and you tend to become a bit sympathetic towards him.
But, in the film, you have little sympathy for him as a character as it all happens quite quickly without much background.
Same goes for Wendy, his wife played by Shelley Duvall in the movie.
In the book she is strong, fierce and resilient, but in the movie she is portrayed as weak and a bit hysterical and more of a damsel in distress.
The Overlook Hotel
The hotel itself is basically a character in both the movie and book, but in King's novel, like in most books, it is detailed much more and is more vivid in the details and explains more about the history of the hotel.
King concentrates more on the presence of the hotel while Kubrick went more for a visual symbolism, which is of course normal for a movie, but you get such a better understanding about the hotel itself in the book.
The Supernatural Element
While the supernatural elements are at play in both versions, they are presented a bit different in each.
The book, as you would guess, goes much more into detail about the supernatural forces a play, exploring its influence on Jack, and this helps you get an even better understanding of everything.
Kubrick's version though takes a more ambiguous approach, leaving room for interpretation and lets you question the reality of the supernatural occurrences.
Themes and Symbolism
Both forms of The Shining share similar characteristics in this regard, with isolation being the main one, but again it differs between both. King's novel really delves into the psychological aspects of addiction and trauma, using supernatural elements as metaphors for these struggles.
Kubrick's film though places more emphasis on the psychological horror and isolation of its characters, using symbolism to help create the atmosphere.
Tony
In the book, Tony, who is Danny's imaginary friend/alter ego, plays a much bigger role.
Tony communicates with Danny through his finger and warns him about the dangers of the hotel and it is revealed Tony is actually an older version of Danny trying to warn him about all the dangers, and he is a separate entity in the book.
In the movie however, Tony is not explicitly shown or mentioned as a separate entity from Danny.
Instead, he is represented through Danny's voice when he speaks in a low, gravelly tone, and it is all much more ambiguous as the movie downplays Tony's role a lot compared to the book.
What are your thoughts on the movie vs book debate with regards to The Shining?
Join me on Twitter , Instagram or Facebook.
Check out some other horror questions: