Final: The Shining

No adaptation of King’s is more well known than The Shining (1980). No other adaptation of any author is more famous for being so unfaithful to the source material either. However, it remains to be one of, if not the most well-regarded adaptation of Stephen King’s work. How is this possible?

The Shining (1980) is full of stunning visuals and incredible tension. Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duval are still highly praised for their performances to this day. However, according to IMDB, Stephen King thought that the film was all visuals without the underlying material, so far as calling it “a fancy car without an engine”. This is where I think that the ‘emphasis’ factor comes into play. Stanley Kubrick saw something in King’s novel that he ultimately wanted to bring to the screen more than anything else. Kubrick is famous for doing films ‘his way’ and for following his own vision no matter what. King and Kubrick have very different styles, and when a very prominent director takes over the work of one of America’s most prolific authors, there may be some differences.

The Shining (1980) is directed by Stanley Kubrick and stars Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duval. The film centers around Jack (Nicholson) and Wendy Torrance (Duval), a young couple with a five year-old son named Danny. Jack is a recovering alcoholic who has recently been fired from his job. Jack finds work as the winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains. The hotel has a colorful history and is the home to many restless spirits. Danny notices these spirits using something called “the shine”, telepathic abilities that give him visions of the future. The angry spirits start to haunt Jack, unhinging his mind and making him increasingly dangerous.

After reading the novel, watch the film. Note the differences. Analyze both and look for creative differences between Kubrick and King. After watching the film, answer the following questions:

What were the overall themes of the novel?

• What did Kubrick decide to emphasize from the novel?
• How did Kubrick emphasize what he took from the novel? What techniques did he use? Were they effective?
• Did any of the differences in the film make the story stronger? Weaker? Explain.
• What was the biggest difference between the novel and film in your opinion?
• What about the overall feel of Kubrick’s vision was different than King’s material
• Did Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duval bring anything different to the roles of Jack and Wendy that worked better for the characters?
• Did the simpler narrative serve the plot of the film better or worse than the novel?
• Which did you enjoy the most?
• Which did you think was better at communicating horror?

Magical Realism: The Green Mile

One trope that sometimes escapes people’s list when they think about King stories is Magical Realism. Magical Realism in literature and film refers to stories where magic exists in the established real world. This means that magical or supernatural occurrences can happen in a real or bland setting. Normally, one wouldn’t think of the real world as a place where magic can happen, but that is the appeal of magical realism. It gives people the notion that some things just cannot be explained and that the world is still mysterious and wondrous. Book series such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson & The Olympians are full of magical realism. Behind the dull and bleak worlds that the characters of those novels live in is another world that is vibrant and exciting. Stephen King does this with a number of his novels and short stories. Some prime examples of this would be Under the Dome, Firestarter, and The Dark Tower series. King puts his own twist on magical realism too, however. His novels are often darker than Harry Potter.

Coming of Age: Stand By Me

One of King’s heavily used themes in his novels is coming of age or a loss of innocence. Many of his tales feature young children who (through some sort of adventure or trauma) grow as people and become more like the adults they are going to become rather than the kids that they are. Coming of age stories are extremely popular in film, with entries like The Breakfast Club (1985), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), and Juno (2007). These films all depict (sometimes in an extreme way) young adults becoming mentally prepared for adulthood.

Twisting Classic Values: The Mist

Something that King does in his novels and stories that earns him a title of master horror writer is his twisting of classic values. His novels often depict monstrousness or evil prowling behind the disguise of classic sectarian values. There are many values that are upheld by society. Some of these can include family, religion, politics, and others.

A Sectarian value is something held up by a specific group of people or sect. If one were part of a religious sect, then they would uphold the values associated with that group. We see this in everyday life. Democrats and Republicans argue for policy that emphasizes their values. The list can go on and on. Most of the time, these values are considered good and are harmless. If anyone doesn’t like them, it is mostly because they disagree with their point of view. However, what if someone took advantage of those values and used them for their gain? What if evil took hold of those values and used them to do terrible things under the disguise of good? That is something that King uses to make fantastic stories with compelling conflict and horror. He often twists what is considered harmless or innocent and makes it deadly or horrifying. He does this in his novels Salem’s Lot, It, Under the Dome, his short story Children of the Corn, and many others. Children of the Corn is a classic example. Children are traditionally known for being sweet and innocent, but what if those sweet-looking children were part of a murderous cult? The children are suddenly terrifying.

Frank Durabont’s The Mist (2007) is based upon a short story by King of the same name. It stars Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laurie Holden. The plot centers around a group of townspeople trapped in a convenience store after a freak storm unleashes a thick fog over the town, covering everything. While unrest begins to grow inside the store and people begin to distrust each other, the townspeople realize that there is something lurking outside in the mist. One man named David (Jane) must band together with a group of citizens to come up with a plan while others conspire against them.

This film twists sectarian religion, more specifically, christian values. As you watch the film, play particular attention to the character of Mrs. Carmody (Harden) and the effect that she has on the rest of the townspeople. She uses old testament beliefs to fuel the mob mentality of scared people. Her own inside ugliness distorts the message of religion while keeping the same label, making it a dangerously attractive option.

Consider the following during the film:

• How does Harden’s performance of Mrs. Carmody help to distort the religious values one normally associates with christianity?
• How do the filmmakers make it plausible that the catastrophe actually is the wrath of God?
• How do the filmmakers explain to the viewer how evil disguised as religion can be dangerous?
• Are there any other values being distorted in this film? Which ones?
• How does the narrative of the film progress the religious distortion?
• Think of another film where some evil disguises as something traditionally thought of as good and wholesome. Did this film do a better job of distorting it? Worse? Explain.

Childhood Trauma: Gerald’s Game

One of the biggest tropes in Stephen King’s works is the recurring theme of childhood trauma and repressed memory. His 1992 novel Gerald’s Game used childhood suffering as a central theme to the story. The story is of a woman named Jesse Burlingame and her husband Gerald.

For the past few years, Jesse and Gerald’s marriage has been fading away. Gerald suggests a romantic weekend away and Jesse reluctantly agrees. They try to spice things up and it ends up with Jesse handcuffed to the bed in the secluded house where they are staying. When Jesse starts to get uncomfortable, she asks Gerald to let her out. Gerald refuses. While the two get into an argument, Gerald has a fatal heart attack and dies, falling on the floor. Jesse is trapped, handcuffed to the bed, alone and helpless. While she is trapped, she remembers a time in her youth where she was abused by someone close to her. This sets the stage for the rest of the story.

Gerald’ Game(2017) is directed by Mike Flanagan and stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood. The film is distributed by Netflix.

There are a lot of ways that you can talk about or suggest the importance of childhood trauma. In a novel, you can be much more direct about it and talk about it very “on the nose” (often in great detail). However, in a film, it is different and sometimes more difficult when one is dealing with moving images rather than words on a page.

Examples can be:

• Repetition and Mirroring: Repeating a scene or specific shot can drill the notion into the audience’s head that the event being shown is significant. A filmmaker can also make a scene or shot mirror a previous one to show the significance or chronological resurgence.
• Dialogue: Explaining through dialogue can be possibly the most direct way to communicate the theme and importance of childhood trauma. As with characters, this can be dangerous because the filmmaker runs the risk of dumping exposition on the viewer.
• Performances: Actors can communicate past trauma through the way they portray their characters. Someone who acts timid can communicate past trauma through their interaction with other people. Someone unaffected by trauma could use a confident demeanor.

As you watch the film, ask yourself these questions:

• How does Carla Gugino’s performance mirror her character’s past trauma?
• How do the flashbacks of Jesse’s past mirror her current situation?
• How is the trauma of the past relevant to Jesse escaping her current situation?
• How does Jesse’s past trauma explain the character of Gerald?
• What does Gerald’s inappropriate joke about women infer about the effect of Jesse’s trauma?
• What techniques does Flanagan use to show the significance of Jesse’s Childhood trauma?
• What is the significance of the stray dog? Of the Moonlight Man?
• What do the apparitions of Gerald and Jesse represent respectively?