“We’ve all been waiting for you.”
My true discovery of Stephen King began in 1997 the moment I laid my eyes on the cover of his then-recent novel, Desperation. All of the classics were quickly covered soon after from Misery to Christine to his monumental tale of madness, The Shining. There was nothing but pure delight to be had at watching this miniseries when it came out shortly after my King education had begun. Seeing one of the author’s most personal stories come to glorious life before me throughout three nights on network television was the thrill I hoped it would be. By this point, I had already seen Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 version (already a classic), but there was something more human and intriguing about this 1997 interpretation by director Mick Garris. This isn’t meant to be a piece about which version is better, except to say this take on The Shining does manage to bring out the novel’s soul in a way the 1980 film never did. Even though it had to contend with the confines of network TV, The Shining still managed to bring forth all the aspects that made King’s novel work. Thankfully, it still does.
The miniseries would never come close to eclipsing the cinematic tour-de-force that was Kubrick’s version. Despite King’s famous dislike of the film and any negative reviews that came its way, for some, the 1980 adaptation is one of the best films ever made. Knowing it couldn’t compete with what came before allowed this version to be its own creation. The third collaboration between King and Garris turns out to be the right combination for this story as the author/screenwriter and director both feel as if they’re firmly on the same page here. The Shining is also another prime example that shows how great the mini/limited series was for King and his sensibilities as an author turned screenwriter. This can be seen not only in the dialogue but in the almost magical way King’s descriptions are brought to life here. A great number of above-average angles and zooms all prove mesmerizing, while the great use of practical effects works wonders at giving the right kind of ominous feel that’s needed to make The Shining effectively play out. These are followed by the hotel’s subtle, but stunning transformation over the change of seasons, all of which gives off a sense of the serene and the surreal. If not all of the miniseries’ special effects work given the limited TV budget, that’s okay. There’s such a strong feeling of heightened foreboding throughout, beginning with the horrific voices accompanying the opening credits that ensure the scares are coming from places the non-King audience won’t expect.
Much like Garris, each of the three leads found themselves with the tall order of recreating roles made iconic by other actors. Fortunately, no one in the cast seemed daunted by this, nor did anyone seem influenced by the likes of those who came before them. In true actor fashion, each person makes their character their own. As Danny, Courtland Mead does a very watchable job of being a child who’s trying to battle his own fears while also trying to understand the change that’s happening to him. Rebecca DeMornay’s Wendy not only succeeds in being closer to King’s original vision for the character but also allows the actress to find a role worthy of her underrated talents at a time when the features she found herself in had begun to let her down. Coming off his Wings success, Steven Weber couldn’t have asked for a better role. His turn as Jack gives off an appropriate feeling of whiplash where his emotional intensity is concerned, while his physical transformation is as equally astonishing. The brilliance contained in the way Weber approaches one of horror literature’s most indelible characters results in the actor’s best performance. With each performance influencing the other, the trio of actors succeed in their roles partly because of their acting, but also for playing their characters as King wrote them, rather than what they all became in popular culture.
The strongest aspect of The Shining is how it looks and feels like its own version. Despite the familiarity with the material, the miniseries comes across like a story we are seeing for the first time. Garris and King both do a great job of laying out exposition and establishing characters, showing us both the real-world fears as well as the supernatural ones that haunt them, blending them seamlessly. Danny’s sporadic visions, especially those he experiences in the presidential suite, are exhilaratingly chilling, managing to capture the tone set by the novel. There are plenty of moments given to Jack and Wendy as a married couple, an element that was sadly lacking in Kubrick’s version. Sure, it can be argued that the inclusion of these was done to fill enough airtime for three nights, but these scenes count and go a long way to making their marriage feel like a marriage. The same goes for the relationship between Jack and Danny. Their complex father/son bond is at the heart of the story here and can rightfully be called the soul of The Shining with its mix of familial frailty and love. Both the horror sequences and the complexities of the relationships might have pushed the boundaries set by late 90s ABC standards, but never once is the integrity or the darkness of the story sacrificed.
One of the reasons that this Shining actually feels like The Shining can unquestionably be chalked up to King’s involvement as both screenwriter and producer. The author’s closeness to the material and his screenwriting experience made him the ideal choice to adapt one of his most popular novels. By the time The Shining came along, King already had experience writing for the screen, including adapting a number of his own works, such as Pet Semetary and Silver Bullet. With the success of 1995’s The Stand, King showed that not only did he know how to write for the medium of television, but just how the novel should transfer. Through his script, the world of The Shining comes to life in a way fans of the novel always hoped it would. There are supernatural moments that happen in the blink of an eye (some of them almost imperceptibly), not to mention the struggle of trying to hold onto normalcy as the horror slowly begins to surround the Torrance family. Meanwhile, the physical settings are richly ornate but made slightly off-putting and unsettling thanks to the otherworldly darkness that King’s story lays over everything in that world. When the themes of guilt, regret, and madness shine through (no pun intended), you can’t help but feel King’s true self as a visual storyteller come out.
When The Shining aired, it defied expectations and the weight of the 1980 film to bring in huge numbers and become a somewhat critical hit. The production went on to win Emmys for both makeup and sound design and was even nominated as Outstanding Miniseries alongside the remake of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and the Francis Ford Coppola-produced version of The Odyssey. However, the reputation it has today seems to signify that it never had the chance to enjoy its success in the years that followed as many not only consider it to be the weaker of the two adaptations, but a subpar King entry in general. In a listicle published earlier this year ranking all of the miniseries based on King’s works, Slash Film’s Chris Evangelista placed The Shining at number 10 out of 16. But look deep enough and you’ll find that The Shining does have its supporters who recognize it as a true interpretation of King’s iconic novel. For them, the joining of King and Garris and the melding of their two sensibilities conspire to take an already thrilling story to places many fans never could have imagined.
The Shining is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Scream Factory.
