Stephen King is the author of plenty of horror stories that have turned into movies or TV miniseries. A classic tale of horror and insanity comes with ‘The Shining’ ”“ a bestseller written in 1977. In this article, you will learn more about the book and movie.
The book and the film centers on a man who is an aspiring author looking to rebuild his career, as well as his family relationship. Jack Torrance is a man plagued by alcoholism, which led to an explosive temper that leads to his son’s arm being broken. When Jack accepts a job as a winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, he hopes the isolation will be good for his family, as well as give him an opportunity to write a new play. However, things do not go as planned and he enters a downward spiral into writers’ block. He also starts to act very weirdly.
In the meantime, Jack’s son is experiencing the effects of the hotel in a different way. He is sensitive to the supernatural and begins to encounter the paranormal energy of the property, such as seeing the ghosts of the deceased. He also starts to have visions during his stay. All along, Danny keeps this experiences to himself because he does not want to disrupt his family or the plans that his father has set into motion. But, Jack is suffering from cabin fever and evil ghosts are beginning to affect his behavior. He starts to drink and in the process, the hotel tells Jack that he should kill his wife and son.
Jack’s wife and son must trick him in order to save their lives. They manage to lock him in a pantry, but the ghost of a former caretaker who murdered his family and then committed suicide interferes, and releases Jack. In the meantime, his wife discovers that Jack has destroyed any means of communication for escaping the isolation of the hotel.
Violence occurs between the couple. They are attacking one another with weapons. In some moments, Jack gains control of himself, whereas other times, the hotel regains power over his thoughts and actions. In this movie, Jack Nicholson plays Jack, whose crazy behavior is famously depicted with him peeking into the crack of a door while holding an axe in his hand.
The Movie
Stanley Kubrick became the director for the film version of the book, which was released in 1980. In 1997, the book was also adapted into a TV mini-series.
Jack Torrence was played by Jack Nicholson, while his wife, Wendy, was played by Shelly Duvall.
Taglines used to promote the film included, “A Masterpiece Of Modern Horror,” “Stanley Kubrick’s epic nightmare of horror,” “The Horror is driving him crazy,” and “He Came As The Caretaker, But This Hotel Had Its Own Guardians – Who’d Been There A Long Time.”