Stephen King's "The Shining" is a spine-chilling story that has captivated horror fans for decades. It's all about the Torrance family – Jack an alcoholic writer; Wendy his wife; and Danny their son who has some pretty unique psychic abilities.

They end up in a snow-covered hotel which seems like a cozy gig at first. But things quickly turn spooky as they face some seriously scary supernatural stuff.

Now this isn't just a book that'll make you want to sleep with the lights on. It's also been turned into a movie and a miniseries. The movie directed by Stanley Kubrick is a big deal in the horror world.

It's got some iconic scenes that have pretty much-become part of pop culture. But Stephen King the mastermind behind the story wasn't a huge fan of this version. So he decided to make his miniseries.

The miniseries is like King's do-over. He wanted it to be closer to what he had in mind when he wrote the book. It dives deeper into the characters and the spooky stuff happening at the hotel. It's more about the slow burn of terror than jump scares.

Comparing the movie and the miniseries is like looking at two sides of the same creepy coin. The movie is all about eerie vibes and unforgettable moments while the miniseries takes its time to build up the horror and get you attached to the characters.

Both are great in their ways and for fans of "The Shining" checking out both versions is a must. It's like getting two different tours of the same haunted house – each one showing you different spooky corners!

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining movie

Back in 1978 when Stanley Kubrick said he was going to make "The Shining" into a movie it was big news. Fans of the book were super excited to see how this scary story would look on the big screen. Kubrick known for his amazing directing chose Jack Nicholson to play the main character Jack Torrance. This was a huge deal because Nicholson was a big star.

The movie came out in 1980 and people had mixed feelings about it. Some loved it but others including Stephen King the author of the book weren't too happy. King had a big problem with how different the movie was from his book. One of his main issues was with Nicholson's casting. 

He felt that Nicholson seemed too crazy right from the beginning. In the book Jack Torrance's character slowly goes from normal to completely mad. King thought this gradual change was super important and he didn't like how the movie just skipped that part.

The praise Kubrick's The Shining received

When Stanley Kubrick's movie version of "The Shining" first hit the screens not everyone was a fan. But as time passed something interesting happened. People started to see it in a new light and now many critics hail it as one of the greatest horror films ever made. It's like the movie aged like fine wine getting better and more appreciated over the years.

But there's one person who's not on the Kubrick bandwagon – the author of "The Shining" Stephen King himself. King has always been pretty vocal about his feelings towards the movie. 

He thinks Kubrick missed the mark on capturing the true essence of the Overlook Hotel's evil nature. In King's eyes the hotel in his book wasn't just a spooky place; it was a character in itself filled with a deep almost inhuman evil. He feels that this crucial element got lost in Kubrick's adaptation.

Stephen King's mini-series

When King was preparing to do a mini-series adaptation of his book The Shining he partnered with ABC the same company with whom he collaborated for the adaptations of It and The Stand. King adapted and produced the mini-series which the network premiered in late April 1997. Unlike the movie the mini-series stayed much truer to the book which pleased die-hard fans of King's novel.

The narrative structure of the mini-series

The mini-series followed the book's basic plot lines more faithfully than the movie. The Torrances become snowed in at the Overlook and supernatural mayhem ensues. However unlike the movie which discarded sections of the book and added some of its own the mini-series is almost beat for beat like the original text.

For instance the mini-series includes some of the scenes that Kubrick had dropped such as the dead woman confronting Danny haunted topiary hedge animals and saving Dick Hallorann the Overlook's head cook from Jack.

The defining difference between the two adaptations: is the ghosts of the Overlook Hotel

One of the significant differences between Kubrick's The Shining and King's mini-series is their treatment of the ghosts that haunt the Overlook Hotel. In the Kubrick version Jack Torrance is already spiraling into madness as the story begins and the supernatural images that appear can be viewed as products of his descent into insanity.

But in King's mini-series the ghosts are genuinely haunting the hotel and the characters experience them more explicitly. Wendy Jack's wife witnesses the ghost of one woman and Danny is entirely terrorized by the hotel's past inhabitants.

Comparing the two adaptations

The miniseries being more faithful to the book has more details from the text incorporated into it which makes it more accessible to those who enjoyed King's original work. The movie on the other hand is generally more celebrated for its stylistic flourishes and memorable scenes like the twin girls appearing in the hallway and the elevator spilling out a torrent of blood.

The mini-series may lack the film's classic lines like "Here's Johnny" or iconic visuals like the moment Jack sticks his head through the broken door.



When it comes to "The Shining" there's a lot of debate among fans about which version is the best. You've got Stanley Kubrick's movie and Stephen King's mini-series and each one has its unique flavor. It's like choosing between two different types of ice cream – both are good but it depends on what you're in the mood for.

Kubrick's movie is known for its distinctive style. It's got those unforgettable scenes and a kind of eerie vibe that sticks with you. But it strays pretty far from King's original book. That's why some fans prefer the mini-series. It stays true to the story King wrote which is great for those who love the book and want to see it come to life just as they imagined.

The mini-series might not have the same classic status as the movie but it's still a solid choice for King's fans. It captures the essence of the book even if it doesn't have the same cultural impact as Kubrick's version.

In the end both the movie and the mini-series have made their mark on horror storytelling. They've each brought something special to "The Shining" and fans will probably keep arguing about which one is better for a long time. It's all part of the fun of being a fan of this spooky story!