Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Stephen King had a very public dislike towards Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of his novelThe Shining. He believed that Kubrick’s version had no real heart in it as he changed some of the fundamental elements in the book. The difference in their adaptation came from King and Kubrick’s view of good and evil. King believed in the Biblical demarcations of good and evil, while Kubrick did not believe in hell.
The character Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, had psychopathic tendencies which made him a terrifying character in the movie. However, King’s novel suggests that external evil forces played a crucial role in the insanity of the character.
Stephen King v. Stanley Kubrick OverThe ShiningHad One Deep Reason
Stanley KubrickandStephen Kinghad two different visions forThe Shiningand it was evident from their difference of opinion.Kubrick never intended to adapt King’s work in its entirety. He hired screenwriter Diane Johnson to work on the big-screen adaptation. The film received mixed reviews upon release and required several cuts, but went on to become a classic.
Stephen King later shared in an interview withDeadlinethat he hated the film due to its deviations from the novel. He compared the film to a“beautiful Cadillac that had no engine inside”. He shared that while Kubrick captured a terrific-looking film, he didn’t care much for the film.
He went on to share a major reason behind their disagreement that went deep beyond the deviations in the script. During a conversation between the two of them, the filmmaker told the author that ghost stories were fundamentally optimistic since they proved an existence beyond death.
“One of the best things I’ve ever seen on television”: Stephen King Heaps High Praise on Netflix’s Real-Life Horror Story Disguised as Comedy
King, who had a more traditional belief system, asked him if he thought hell was optimistic. After a long silence, Kubrick replied with a change in tone,“I don’t believe in hell.”The conflict in their belief system was reflected in their artistic vision too.
King felt that the character of Jack Torrance, played byJack Nicholson, had no arc in the movie since he was“crazy”from the beginning. He explained that his character in the book struggled with his sanity and he was a good guy who was“bent one way and then the other”by external forces of evil.
He wanted the character’s story arc to end in a tragedy. However, he accused the film’s character of having no growth in the arc and hence having no tragic ending. He shared in his interview (via Deadline):
When we first see Jack Nicholson, he’s crazy as a shit house rat. All he does is get crazier. In the book, he’s a guy who’s struggling with his sanity and finally loses it. To me, that’s a tragedy. In the movie, there’s no tragedy because there’s no real change.
Many viewers of the film stood with King’s opinion at the time and criticized the film. Stanley Kubrick was even nominated for a controversial Razzie for worst director during the first edition of the awards. However, the response has since become favorable and Kubrick’s film is often cited as the best psychological horror film of all time.
Stephen King Loved Stanley Kubrick’s Other Works
Stephen King shared in the interview that he had met with Stanley Kubrick and shared that he was a“terrifically smart guy”. He shared that he loved some of Kubrick’s films likeDr. StrangeloveandPaths of Glory. But he shared that he was an“insular man”even though he interacted with him in a perfectly normal way. King shared:
But I met Kubrick and there’s no question he’s a terrifically smart guy. He’s made some of the movies that mean a lot to me, Dr. Strangelove, for one and Paths of Glory for another.
I think he did some terrific things but, boy, he was a really insular man. In the sense that when you met him, and when you talked to him, he was able to interact in a perfectly normal way but you never felt like he was all the way there.
Inanother interview with David Letterman, King shared that he’d given Kubrick a live grenade and he just threw his body on it. King later came out with a version ofThe Shininghimself, a three-part miniseries released in 1997.
“I’d see that f—ker six times”: Stephen King Has 1 Demand from Taylor Sheridan to Make a Violent Western That Ridley Scott Once Tried to Adapt for the Big Screen
The Shiningis now available for rent on AppleTV+.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
