The Shining: Why the 1997 Miniseries Deserves Much More Love

The Shining is one of the most popular and objectively best-written novels of Stephen King’s career, and after being adapted into the film world in 1980 by filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, it has cemented itself as a fan favorite for not only best horror film of all time, but one of the best films of all time, period. The discourse of whether The Shining belongs at the top is irrelevant, as the pro side always lands on Jack Nicholson’s legendary performance as Jack Torrance, and Kubrick’s revolutionary camera work and art direction, and the con side always lands on the lack of similarity to King’s original novel, lack of cohesion in the film’s story, and Shelley Duvall’s lackluster acting in comparison to her two main co-stars (though it is noted how Kubrick treated Duvall during filming). It’s also well known and worth noting that King himself has gone on record stating his disdain for Kubrick’s adaptation of his work.

But what if I told you there was a version of The Shining out there that both encompasses the incredible acting performances of Kubrick’s film, while still remaining true to King’s original story? One would have to look no further than the ABC miniseries that premiered a little more than 25 years ago. The 4.5-hour miniseries was directed by Mick Garris, director of cult horror films like Sleepwalkers and Critters II, and writer of fan favorites like Hocus Pocus and The Fly II. Before Garris could take on the task of adapting such a beloved King story, he had to find the right pieces, and no piece was more important than finding a Jack Torrance.

At first, Garris looked to Gary Sinise. The two had worked together a few years prior on the 1994 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, where Sinise had taken on the lead role. Sinise would surprisingly turn down the role of Torrance, stating that he was afraid he’d never be able to live up to Nicholson’s iconic performance.  The part was then offered to Tim Daly, who also turned down the role, but suggested Garris go with his friend and his co-star from Wings, Steven Weber. Garris went with his friend’s advice, and brought Weber on board, along with Rebecca De Mornay, who not only naturally looked more like Wendy Torrance’s description in the book, but also had plenty of experience in well known thrillers and dramas, like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Risky Business.

One of the biggest and most valid complaints from both King and King loyalists about Nicholson’s portrayal of Torrance, was the fact that he seems insane from the start. Part of Jack’s entire character in The Shining novel is that he’s constantly conflicted, and consistently trying to be better for both himself and his family. Where it felt like Nicholson’s portrayal couldn’t stand his family from the beginning, Weber perfectly encompassed the family man, prepared for a new start, and excited and grateful to still have his family after his rough go with alcoholism.

Rather than flipping a switch into a complete psychotic breakdown, Weber very clearly struggles in the Overlook, as ghosts try to poison his mind toward his family. Even within the same scenes, Weber’s portrayal bounces back-and-forth between anger, regret, and concern; something that addicts and alcoholics are notorious for doing. In my opinion, when looking at the developed character of Jack Torrance, Steven Weber actually does a better and more complete job at becoming Torrance. Is it more iconic? Maybe not, but I think that comes down more to Nicholson’s ability to be a physical actor, and his general look.

Rebecca De Mornay, on the other hand, absolutely crushes her role as Wendy Torrance. Where as Shelley Duvall played the character more timid and afraid, De Mornay was a ferocious fighter, and although terrified of her husband, she became the mother lion she was known for in the story, stopping at absolutely nothing to protect her young. Where running and hiding became Duvall’s go-to with the character, protection was De Mornay’s number one priority. Unfortunately, where I do feel like Kubrick’s adaptation stood out more was with the portrayal of the young Danny Torrance. In the miniseries, the role was played by Courtland Mead, a slightly older version of Danny, who’s acting talent wasn’t really developed. But in all fairness, Danny Lloyd, who played Danny Torrance in the original, hardly knew a movie was being filmed, and had the actual crap scared out of him during filming. After this role, Mead mainly took on roles in voice acting, with his last acting credit being in 2010.

In the smaller roles, the miniseries absolutely gets the edge. Don’t get me wrong, Scatman Crothers was great in Kubrick’s movie, but the character of Hallorann was simply just explored more, and Melvin Van Peebles did a wonderful job in the role. The miniseries also brought memorable character actors to smaller roles, like Elliott Gould (MASH), Pat Hingle (Batman), and of course, Stanley Anderson doing a ghoulishly good job as the ghost version of Delbert Grady. The miniseries is also chock-full of excellent cameos, including Garris himself, Sam Raimi, Frank Darabont, and without fail, Stephen King.

While Kubrick’s film was shot mostly in Oregon, the miniseries was filmed in Estes Park, Colorado, giving a much more authentic feel to the environment. The primary shooting took place at the Stanley Hotel, the actual hotel where Stephen King stayed during a storm, and was inspired to write The Shining. Specific scenes of Danny being terrorized by the Overlook’s ghosts came straight from King’s own nightmares while staying at the Stanley, as he dreamt of his own son, Joe, being chased and constricted by the hotel’s safety firehoses. The set is impressive, and the hotel feels much more like the labyrinth it’s meant to be, rather than focusing on just a few different rooms.

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The level of detail that went into the ghosts was great too, as more than 200 extras were made up to look like the undead at the party. Side-by-side, some of the makeup effects aren’t as great as in the original film, but they aren’t too far off. I give the miniseries a lot of credit for it’s outside-the-box attempts, like using short cut shots to make the topiary animals come to life, the fire hoses swinging around, and even blowing up small models to show the destruction of the Overlook. All things that were scary and memorable moments from the novel, that Kubrick never even attempted with his film.

Where The Shining miniseries shines (don’t hit me) the most is in the story coverage itself. Yes, it’s more than twice as long as the film, but still, the miniseries goes into a great detail of backstory about the Overlook Hotel, including the multitude of tragedies that went on there, even before the sinister Grady murder story. Tragic mobster and Hollywood actor stories are brought up, helping Jack become obsessed with the history of the ghostly hotel, and even having him completely transition from writing his own original play to writing a novel about the Overlook’s historical tragedies.

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The miniseries explores the darker themes of Jack’s abusive father, and Wendy’s abusive mother, even making Jack hear his father’s (John – as in “Here’s Johnny!”) voice through the Overlook’s CB radio, which is voiced by the memorable Miguel Ferrer. Jack’s abusive actions mirror his father’s as he runs through the Overlook’s halls screaming “Come take your medicine, you pup!”, while smashing a croquet mallet into walls and vases. Jack’s final interaction with Hallorann ends similarly to the book as well, as Hallorann becomes a prominent figure in Danny’s life post-Overlook.

The Shining miniseries was incredibly popular at its release too, and that’s something I think most people have forgotten. The miniseries would win two Primetime Emmys in 1997, one for Outstanding Makeup, and the other for Outstanding Sound Editing. The series itself was also nominated for Outstanding Miniseries, but unfortunately lost to PBS’ Prime Suspect V: Errors of Judgement (what?!). More importantly, though, a whopping 19.8 million viewers tuned in to watch The Shining on ABC. For comparison, this was 500,000 more viewers than the series finale of Game of Thrones, one of the most popular shows of all time, at 19.3 million views… and that was including those who streamed it at different times. The series can be tough to find to stream/rent nowadays, but has been included with a lot of King combo pack DVDs over the years, so I highly suggest trying to get your hands on one.

When thinking about the older Stephen King miniseries, horror fans often jump to The Stand, Salem’s Lot, and of course, the 1990 version of IT starring Tim Curry as Pennywise. However, Mick Garris’ The Shining was arguably better than all of them, both from a critic and viewer standpoint. I firmly stand on the hill that it’s just as good as Stanley Kubrick’s take on the classic King story, if not better, and it’s certainly deserving of much more love and attention than it gets.