'The Shining (1997)' Retro Recap: 'Part 1'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When it comes to television or movie adaptations of popular novels, there always seems to be one particular complaint that is directed toward the finished product in that; the book was better. Granted, that complaint is understandable, because creative liberties are taken with adaptations in order to maximize the drama. But once in a great while, a perfect book adaptation comes along, and one of my personal favorites, was an ABC Miniseries that was released in 1997…The Shining.
 
Of course, I know that by declaring this miniseries as one of my favorite adaptations that I’m opening up myself to quite the attack, simply because many view Stanley Kubrick’s big screen adaptation of this story to be nothing short of a masterpiece, which is ironic in its own right, considering what we just discussed. But the fact of the matter is, there’s room for both of these adaptations in the horror world because they bring such vastly different things to the table and as we recap this three-part miniseries from here on out, I want to honestly leave Kubrick’s version out of our discussions because it stands on its own and accomplishes its own unique journey. 
 
Instead, I want to talk about the wonder of this particular iteration, and the fact that it truly is a damn near flawless adaptation of the book, thanks in large part to the fact that Stephen King wrote the teleplay himself and by getting the opportunity to do that, and by splitting the story up into three chunks, King was in essence able to take the audience on an epic journey with the Torrance family, and as I settled in to re-watch the first part of this miniseries, something surprising hit me early on in that…this first leg of the journey is actually filled to the brim with hope.

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I say that’s surprising, simply because this is a story that truly ends up being an awful tragedy, and while there are dark moments in this opening chapter, there are some genuine moments of hope and desire for a second chance when it comes to this family. They want to use the Overlook Hotel to heal their wounds and come together once again and there’s a glimmer in Jack’s eye that speaks to how much he’s looking forward to getting his play completed and finding a path in life that doesn’t involve the drink and well, this is what sucks us in to the story because in a weird way, despite knowing the ending, we are rooting for Jack through and through to heal his wounds and enjoy a healthy family life at last.
 
However, I made mention of the fact that there’s darkness to be found in this opening chapter and in classic King fashion, the story doesn’t mess around there either. All the ominous notes play out in beautiful foreboding fashion, and credit is due to Director Mick Garris for making the Overlook Hotel an essential, living character to the story as well as it slowly creeps to life with Danny inside of its walls and I won’t lie, having stayed at the Stanley Hotel on many occasions in my lifetime, there is a creepy joy that comes with seeing the real life hotel that inspired King to write the story, and which still stands to this day, be immortalized on film in proper fashion.
 
Yet, what I truly enjoyed about the opening chapter to this harrowing saga, is that it took its time in telling its story. It made sure to teach us everything we will ever need to know about Jack Torrance. We’re well versed in the hotel’s awful and sordid history and there are zero questions when it comes to Danny’s powers. That way the story cannot shoehorn in any surprises when it comes to the characters, nor will it rush this tale in the slightest. Instead, a slow descent into madness and terror awaits in the next couple of episodes, and I’m looking forward to re-watching every single chilling moment. Until next time.  

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