So lately I've been compiling a list of media involving locations that are alive/malevolent/otherwise unconventionally haunted. And as part of my research, I decided to finally read Stephen King's The Shining. I want to preface this by saying that I love the movie, I don't consider it scary but it's definitely unnerving and masterfully made. And I knew going in that the book was quite different, but I was okay with that! I also want to say that I don't have much of a track record with his work, the only things I've really experienced of his are The Shining, a couple of his short stories, and 2002 miniseries Rose Red (which kept me up for weeks, haha)
But I'm well into the book, on chapter 28 as I write this, and I just… don't get it. Specifically, I don't understand why people say this is one of the scariest books they've ever read or that it's incredibly well-written and whatnot. So far, my only opinion has been that it is PAINFULLY boring. I do enjoy some of the characterization going on, but the actual horror elements (both the supernatural, and Jack's abuse) are falling flat for me. Is there something I'm not getting here?
by Far-Polaris
1 Comment
I also don’t understand why The Shining is considered so spectacular. It’s a great book I enjoyed it, I love almost everything King writes, the movie was kind of eh…..Jack’s performance was awesome but I hate the chick that was his wife I forget her name. But the story overall and the writing of the book overall for King anyway it was pretty mediocre I don’t think it was very monumental as one of his works at all but everybody else seems to. To each their own I guess. That being said I’m 39 years old and that’s relevant because King started writing long before I was old enough to really be reading so perhaps it’s a matter of time lapse? Maybe this is just words better than his other books that he had written at that time.