“That’s odd, usually the blood gets off at the second floor.”

There a lot of classic films that I’ve never seen. Some due to timing, others subject matter. I may not enjoy some genres but I still try to catch some movies that are on those lists of “100 movies to watch before you die even though they might be the death of you anyway.” Many of these happen to be scary movies, which is why I’ve strayed from looking toward them. Recently though, I have taken a jump into certain classics of such to see if I can handle watching them. I mean, I host a paranormal podcast, yet I can’t watch a horror movie? 

Spinning out from its reference in the Ready Player One movie, I made a terribly planned viewing of Stanley Kubrick’s rendition of The Shining at 3 a.m. on a sleepless night. Of course, this made the rest of the weekend even more sleepless after dozing off post-shower scene.

Until this moment I had never seen a Kubrick film aside from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I only made it through once, barely understanding what I had watch aside from the theme of technology taking over, which I had already started living. Having forgotten the slow, docile direction of this movie, the sudden reintroduction of a dense winter brought yawns during both of my viewings of The Shining. While I understand the reasoning behind this thematic pause, showing just how horrible being left alone to one’s vices can be, it made the movie far from interesting. And yet it is a classic. So many tropes and basic ghost lore come from this version of King’s story—creepy ghost children and twins, interactions between the spirit and Earthly realm, premonitions. All of these are key to the story’s evolution. Yet there was still something lost.

In watching this version, I came across another, more extended presentation of the Overlook. In 1997, Mick Garris directed a 3-part miniseries, this time written by King himself. Unlike Kubrick’s portrayal, this version, starring Steven Webber as Jack, invests more time into his drinking and anger problems. Each of Jack’s major outbursts are revisited, as well as his journey to stay clean in their early days in the Rockies. The characters are also given more time to learn about the hotel’s history and the people who stayed (and are still staying) at the hotel. Suddenly the story was no longer a two-and-a-half-hour whisper of a slasher flick where very little is shown but ill-explained ominous premonitions. Danny’s premonitions have more depth in the miniseries, along with his ghost friend, Tony, who warns him of the hotel’s dangers throughout the film. Danny also has telepathy, the “shining” (Oh look, an actual explanation of the title, 17 years later), which is why he can see the spirits.

Of the two versions, I preferred the miniseries over Kubrick’s “masterpiece.” While it did not have the tropes that made the original more memorable, the story flowed much better and had more reasoning behind the events. A majority of the horror is not seen until the final part, though after seeing how the family acts with each other, understanding why the spirits want Jack, and especially why they want Danny, makes the final haunt even more powerful.
If you have never read or seen any Stephen King works, I recommend the miniseries as your first choice. If you just want a blast from the 80’s, the Kubrick film is a good choice if nothing else for the actors. Either choice, make sure not to watch at 3 in the morning.