After he’s given the opportunity to recover, get sober, and bond with his family at the Overlook Hotel with a position as the winter caretaker, Jack is hopeful that he can repair these familial relationships and break the cycle of abuse and anger that began with his own father. He lost his job as an educator after he physically assaulted a student in a flare of temper exacerbated by his struggles with alcoholism. He adores his wife and son, but while struggling with his own demons, his ability to demonstrate this love sometimes falters. In the novel, Jack is an incredibly sympathetic character. It was this aspect that King disputed in particular-notably, the portrayals of Jack and Wendy, and the Torrance family’s tensions. Perhaps one of the most significant differences between King and Kubrick’s versions of The Shining lies in characterization.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Shining. So what exactly are the differences between The Shining movie and the novel on which it was based? Kubrick rejected the Stephen King's initial treatment of the screenplay, and The Shining's author was largely dissatisfied with his novel’s jump to the big screen. Yet despite being a pillar of the genre, The Shining is not the most faithful page-to-screen adaptation. With the critically acclaimed performance of Jack Nicholson in the lead role and the signature style of a creative generally considered to be one of the best in cinematic history, the ever-memorable and oft-quoted film is a staple for many horror buffs. When The Shining was adapted by filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in 1980, the story took on another life entirely. Following a disgraced teacher turned playwright and hotel groundskeeper named Jack Torrance his depressed but resilient wife, homemaker Wendy and their kind yet skittish and somewhat peculiar young son Danny, the novel paints the tumult of a dysfunctional family’s dynamics against the backdrop of a grim and unforgiving setting.

But it’s so, so much more than your classic story of spirits and a man’s descent into madness-it’s also a tender yet deeply painful meditation on addiction, family, abuse, and redemption. Set in the claustrophobia-inducing snow-covered peaks of an isolated hotel in the middle of the Rockies, The Shining is a classic work of psychological horror that’s just about as chilling as it gets.

The shining novel