An Inquiry into Insanity in The ShiningĪs I mentioned it at the start, the horror genre has gone through many phases and transitions, with the earlier ones having been more focused on monsters, or unimaginable and unknowable creatures, as was in Lovecraft‘s case. Their slow journey into madness can only have one gruesome ending, and the otherworldly inhabitants of the Overlook are dead-set on making it happen. Upon their arrival, the luxurious and comforting interiors of the Overlook seem quite inviting, but unbeknownst to the Torrence family, they also hide something sinister and deadly.Īs seemingly inexplicable and paranormal occurrences begin to chip away at the family’s psyche, Jack trends towards instability, Wendy is frightened for her family, and Danny is the only one capable of sensing the evil around them. Seeing it as the perfect chance to earn a good bit of money, spend some quality time with his family, and progress on his writing, Jack jumps on the opportunity without asking too many questions. Jack receives a job offer to maintain the Overlook Hotel over the winter period, isolated from society as can be. In other words, if you think having seen the movie is enough to pretend you’ve read the book, I’d urge you to reconsider.įor those who are only discovering this classic bestseller of the 70s for the first time, or are in need of a refresher course, it follows the story of Jack Torrence, author and seasonal hotel caretaker, his wife Wendy, and their five-year-old son Danny.
The film is a beast in its own right, and I believe it ought to be considered differently from the book.
The majority of people are familiar with the story courtesy of Stanley Kubrick‘s excellent adaptation by the same name, but as is quite often the case, only so much of a book can be transposed onto the silver screen. Stephen King, a name which I’m certain most of you are already familiar with, is the kind of author who set new trends back in his day, and I think few of his works had a literary impact comparable to The Shining.
The horror genre is one whose evolution can be quite fascinating to trace, the majority of its authors following trends until someone comes along to set a new one.
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