Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining will undoubtedly stand out as a cult classic horror flick through generations. Featuring a few of the most popular and unforgettably terrifying scenes and starring the ominous Grady twins, the movie is held in high regard, by even casual moviegoers. But surprisingly Stephen King wasn’t quite fond of Kubrick’s take on his novel.
Despite being adapted from Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name, the author wasn’t pleased with Stanley Kubrick’s movie. Mainly disappointed by the character depictions in The Shining, King was eventually able to forgive Kubrick, after Mike Flanagan adapted the author’s 2013 novel Doctor Sleep. Watching Rebecca Ferguson’s underrated 2019 movie, King admitted how Kubrick’s The Shining was redeemed by Doctor Sleep.
Stephen King Was Disappointed in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining
Adapted from Stephen King’s 1977 novel by the same name, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining turned into a cult classic horror movie, following its release in 1980. Five years after Kubrick’s previous historical epic Barry Lyndon, the filmmaker came up with his iconic film that later turned into a Halloween staple.
Showcasing unforgettably terrifying moments like the axe-wielding “Here’s Johnny!” scene and featuring the creepy Grady twins, Kubrick’s The Shining garnered immense praise and great reviews through generations. However, despite pleasing fans through the decades, Stanley Kubrick surprisingly failed to impress Stephen King with his movie.
According to an interview with The Paris Review, Stephen King had opened up about his disappointment in Stanley Kubrick’s take on the story. While the film adapted from the novel was about a family threatened by supernatural spirits, King stated that Kubrick lacked the “sense of emotional investment in the family whatsoever”. Particularly insulted by the portrayal of Wendy, King even called her “one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film” via BBC.
“I used to call it a Cadillac with no engine in it. You can’t do anything with it except admire it as a sculpture. You’ve taken away its primary purpose, which is to tell a story. The basic difference that tells you all you need to know is the ending. Near the end of the novel, Jack Torrance tells his son that he loves him, and then he blows up with the hotel. It’s a very passionate climax. In Kubrick’s movie, he freezes to death.”
Declaring that he “hated” the result, Stephen King explained how Kubrick had taken away the story’s “primary purpose”. Apparently let down by Stanley Kubrick’s take on The Shining, King thereafter wrote Doctor Sleep in 2013, as a sequel to his 1977 novel. Deliberately setting it in a world where the Overlook Hotel was destroyed, the author wished to avoid further disappointments.
Rebecca Ferguson’s Movie Redeemed The Shining for Stephen King
Keeping his guard up, Stephen King didn’t want any further mess-ups when it came to Doctor Sleep. But soon, after penning down his sequel novel in 2013, the author was approached by writer-director Mike Flanagan who wanted to adapt King’s story. Once cast down by Kubrick’s 1980 movie, the author was initially hesitant when it came to Doctor Sleep.
Although convincing the writer that his adaptation of the novel should also be a sequel to Kubrick’s film was a bit difficult, Mike Flanagan successfully won over the author. Given Flanagan’s filmography and his screenplay for the movie, Stephen King was impressed by the filmmaker. Speaking with EW, the author thus noted how he read Flanagan’s script over and over again, quite carefully. Willing to do a good job with the sequel, King recalled being impressed by the director’s previous work and entrusting him with the project.
“I read the script to this one very, very carefully. Because obviously I wanted to do a good job with the sequel, because people knew the book The Shining, and I thought, I don’t want to screw this up. Mike Flanagan, I’ve enjoyed all his movies, and I’ve worked with him before on Gerald’s Game. So, I read the script very, very carefully and I said to myself, ‘Everything that I ever disliked about the Kubrick version of The Shining is redeemed for me here’”.
Starring Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, in the 2019 movie, Mike Flanagan took on the task of delivering a phenomenal sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Although Doctor Sleep didn’t end up being as successful as The Shining, it certainly made Stephen King feel satisfied with the onscreen character depictions, which Kubrick’s movie apparently failed to do, as per the author.
The Shining and Doctor Sleep are available on Max.
