Stephen King Fans discussion

I am currently reading The Shining for the first time and I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

I've already added the movie to my Netflix list so I can watch it again right after I finish the book which I hope to do today.

It makes me so happy to read a good book. It really does.

I loved reading The Shining, its one of my favourite King books but then again I like nearly all of them. I've set myself the task of reading all of his books and so far I think I've read about 19, still along way to go i think.

Be sure to watch both movies... Personally I like the TV mini-series better than the Jack Nickleson movie. The Shining is my ALL time favorite King book! Ok well maybe not all time... it's hard to pick.

Shelly Duvall was born to play Olive Oyl, not necessarily Wendy Torrance. :) But give her some props...she got mentally and physically ill during the filming (as later reports and the DVD extra doc show) with the strain. None of the final codas of the movies or the novels are good, but the ride along the way is a scream.

BTW, guess which page the incident in Room 217 takes place on? Just guess...

Has anyone been to the Stanley Hotel? I live fairly close to it and have been meaning to get up there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stan...

Hayley, I'm right w/ you there. I absolutely love Stephen King and have been trying to work my way through his books. As many as I have read, there is still so many that I haven't read! I think I've read about 37......and I still have a ways to go! And I'm enjoying every step of the way!

Kathy, I'm going to be getting The Dark Tower Series next, its slow going and my credit card is taking a big hit but hey I don't spend money on anything else.
I fancy reading The Shining again but I've got a list of books as long as my arm sitting there waiting to be read.

have you read the dark tower its awesome!!!

I think ive read almost every S.King book except maybe 2-3 duma key and a crime type story cant remember the name

I haven't read it yet but I will be doing, I need to purchase them first.

You will love it i read as it came out it sucked having to wait the years in between publications!!!lol i couldnt log on to gr all day my password was screwed up i aboiut died!!!lol

Angie - We live in Littleton and drove up and stayed at the Stanley once, for our anniversary. We loved it and had the best time! We found our way up to the bell tower in the middle of the night (oops, didn't see that "no trespassing" sign we had to climb over:) It's an equally beautiful and creepy grand old hotel. In the morning, there were elk running all over Estes Park - we even saw one in the McDonald's drive-thru!

Oh I am so there... was this in winter?

Yes! The Stanley is amazing. You don't have to stay there to go on their ghost tour which is hella freaky. Their gift shop also has really creative postcards with ghosty children on them in front of the hotel. There's a totally creepy caption on them, but I can't remember what it was. Oh, on the tour they talk about how they get volunteers to play the Stanley lady's piano and the volunteers have been pushed off the bench or had their hair pulled! CREEPY

Oh they probably have cool tee-shirts in the gift shop too. I need to get up there this summer! I heard they have big Halloween balls there and that sometimes King has shown up.

I assume you are talking about the real hotel that was the Overlook in the movie.I'd heard that the real hotel was in England,but Ive forgotton where and the real name of the hotel.

Joe,

The hotel in England you are referencing was used for shooting the Kubrik film. Actually, I think it might have been a soundstage in England. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO was the inspiration for the novel. According to an interview King was checking into the Stanely at the end of a season. While he was checking in there were some nuns sitting aroudn the lobby laughing. He felt that was erie and the story progressed from there.

We went to the Stanley a couple of years ago and purchased a 217 room plate. It is now on our bedroom door at home. 95% of the people that see it don't get it. :)

OK I HAVE to get to that gift shop! That room plate is a really neat idea, and I don't think anyone I know would get it either! Now that there is a movie called 1408 they might get that if I had that room plate.

That is so cool.I did not know anything about The Stanley'Thanks.Room 217 is a classic seane that and the two little dead girls at the end of the hallway were both the 2 most chilling things in the book and movie.Thanks for the info!

I just finished The Shining. Loved it. I hadnt read a good, spooky read in awhile. Seems like I started to read this one very early on, like in jr high, and just couldnt get it. Now, years later, I absolutely devoured it. What I'm now wondering is this: What happens later? Danny had such a strong, unique power, surely he had other odd expierences in his life. I would love to see another book with Danny as an adult.

The Shining is one of my faves.I loved The Movie and the mini series.I can't get enough of good old Jack andI would so love to visit The Stanley.Maybe someday I'll have the cash to do it.

Interesting fun fact about the Kubrick film: the director wanted the character of Wendy to dress and move like a rag doll. Explains the odd clothing.

"The Shining" is probably my favorite Stephen King book, but I also adore "The Green Mile" and "Dark Tower" series, which I just finished (and now, keep expecting Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake to pop up in all my books).

Ive felt the same way about Shelly Duvll and Wendy Torance..But at least to me,Duvall, made her role.

My dorm room my freshman year of college was room 217. I remember a friend and I joking about it but no one else got it.

The scene in the topiary garden scared me so bad, I kept having to take breaks. Does anyone remember the episode of Friends where Joey is reading The Shining and he puts it in the freezer when he gets freaked out? Wish I had thought of that back then!

The Shining is my favorite King book. A hundred years from now, they'll be teaching it in literature classes, I hope.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/10/09/c...

ART

Just finished The Shining...in researching scary books, I found that The Shining was inspired by "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson (also about a haunted establishment.) So I got curious about reading that (I did read it). Then I got curious about reading The Shining. They do complement each other well. King even quotes Hill House in The Shining...the first line of Hill House that goes something like...whoever walks there walks alone.

So in both books, it's as if the house or the hotel is not just haunted but "alive." In TS at one point, someone is looking up at the Overlook, and it's as if the windows are eyes, making up a face.

One thing that always bugged me about Kubrick's adaptation...the character of Hallorman...he goes to all that trouble to get there and...is offed as soon as he arrives. What was the point? As we know, in the book, he is instrumental in Danny & Wendy's escape. Did Kubrick just want somebody to get killed?

Regarding Wendy: So true that the Wendy described in the book looks nothing like the odd-ball Shelley Duvall. Wendy is blonde and attractive, from what I gathered. And that crazy meekness--Wendy has no choice in staying with Jack in the book. She has a strained relationship with her mother, and she has a child to support and no profession of her own. But she's not a dishrag--she is described as being close to divorcing Jack many times, and is very prepared to defend herself with the butcher knife once he starts to become violent.

Someone mentioned the documentary--I did read that Kubrick's daughter did a "making of" documentary that's included on the dvd extras. I would love to see it.

So Angie and I were commenting on the scariest part of this book. For me it was the dead lady in the bathtub. Not only was she there, but she got up and was trying to get Danny--of course who finds the door is now locked. And when Jack comes back, he closes the door behind him, only to have her get up out of the tub, and rattle the doorknob behind him. Very much like something from a nightmare.

I will never forget the elevator scene in the book! I was so scared! It's been a while since I've read it but if I remember correctly it came up all by itself and had like party favors in it, masks and stuff. I knew there was some type of party going on and shouldn't be! SCARY STUFF!

I also love the topiaries carved outside the hotel and in the Kubrick movie he makes a maze outside instead. I really would've liked to see animal topiaries come alive!

And if you hadn't noticed, that scary incident in Room 237 occurs on ...PAGE 237! :0

WHOA!

It's been way too long since I've read The Shining! 23 and 19 years ago....oh my! All I can say with any memory is that it definitely scared the pants off of me! Thats really interesting about rm 237 and page 237. I will have to go check my copy!

I think it's actually 217, but its been a little while since I read it, so I could be wrong. :)

Stupid Hollywood.

Maybe the hotel they shot the scene at didn't have a room 217? Or, maybe someone was staying in it and didn't want to move? Haha...

I really think Hollywood in general (But Kubrick in this instance) just does what it wants, but, if anyone can find a valid reason for the change, I would love to be wrong!

I enjoy both versions of The Shining, but this is one of the main reasons that I have been put off of watching a lot of movies based on books recently.

Kubrick used many sets as a sub for hotel rooms for the film, so I don't think usage of the hotel was the issue...

Aww... That would have been funny!

"No, sir, I will NOT move to a different room, even if this room DOES happen to be haunted by a homicidal ghost!" ;)

I did read that the hotel where he shot the film (the one in England, I think) DID have a room 217, but not a room 237...so they asked that Kubrick change the room number, so people wouldn't avoid staying in that room.

Personally, if I ever stayed in that hotel, I STILL WOULDN'T STAY IN 217!

Interesting... Thanks Alison!

It's that time again! New monthly book read. I moved this thread down to the monthly read so we can continue the conversation we already have going. This is a great book so welcome to those who are reading it for the first time and those who have already read it! I recently visited the Stanley Hotel so I thought I would post some pictures so kick off our discussion! Enjoy!

This elevator is 100 years old and still working! The elevator is one of the scariest parts of the book!

The Stanley Hotel is not as isolated as you would think. It is in the middle of a wonderful little mountain town, see the McDonald's in the picture?

The day we went was really spooky! There were clouds and it was kinda snowing so it was perfect. Around the hotel people dress up into character and interact with the tourists. In the lower picture you can see the characters walking around outside. There was also a carriage that you could ride around on. You cannot go up to the rooms unless you are a guest of the hotel so I did not get to take pictures of room 217.

Well hope I didn't put anyone to sleep with the pictures! Enjoy the discussions! This is the sign headed into the hotel area:

I thought it was kinda funny that there is a McDonald's right in front of the hotel. Guess you could just run down there if you were in real trouble to get a burger! It was a very spooky day. There are actually mountains behind the hotel and you can barley see them in the pics. The ones you do see are little hills.

I wanted to make a comment regarding Duvall. I had no trouble understanding why Wendy would stay with Jack in the book, for all the reasons mentioned already. In visual form, though, I would have had a much harder time accepting someone, who did not look and act a bit like a dishrag, staying. I know, logically, it shouldn't matter, but I am much better at suspending disbelief in print than I am in movies. I never felt myself urging her to "get out!" while watching the movie, because she was so good at conveying, with her mannerisms, that she just WOULDN"T!!!! Well, not until she reached her limit. I don't know if I would have cast Duvall, but I can surely understand the choice.

Rob, no you cannot see Pikes Peak from there. I think there is a peak called Evans that you can see (Evans is taller than Pikes). http://www.mountevans.com/ You can see Pikes from the capital building in Denver though from the top.


What part of this book scared everyone the most? Personally for me it was the empty elevator with all the party pieces inside.

I've determined that I really can't fit The Shining into my reading schedule this month, but I will still pop in and discuss it. I've read it enough times to practically know it by heart anyway! :)

I love the beat up look of the book cover on the main page of what we're reading. I think it is kinda funny that it is a used book cover!

Angie- I agree, the empty elevator is super scary, mostly because it's jus so surreal. I think the absolute scariest part, though, is when Wendy finally sees just whats in his manuscript. Not only is he looney, which is not in doubt, but he has BEEN looney all along!

Kandice, I have to disagree with you. I see Jack differently than that.


**Spoilers Ahead!**


I think that the Overlook MADE Jack crazy. It manipulated him, and twisted his perception of everything around him.

I think that the manuscript is both an outlet and a conduit for Jack's growing madness.

The more frustrated he became with his writing (or lack thereof), in addition to other irritations and aggravations which kept escalating, the more openings the Overlook had to push him to do what it wanted. Finally, what he ends up writing is all Overlook, no Jack.

At least that's how I viewed it. Jack certainly had issues before going to the Overlook, alcoholism and anger-control issues not least of them, but what Jack became was not who Jack was, if that makes sense.