Child and adult horror 1. The Shining

There's a certain contrast in good horror stories that goes deeper in the skilled reader's mind. Child horror is the monster, the werewolf, the monster in the closet, the cthulhu under the water. These are the horrors you see but when you dig into the representation behind the monster that you begin to see the true horror. Let's take King's The Shining. Despite the movie's handling of the material, there are stark differences between the two mediums. The book has no elevators from the underworld opening to unleash gallons of blood, no axe killings, and no twins who want to play forever and ever. So what is the book about? Adult fears. Jack is haunted by his past drinking which has nearly cost him his marriage. Combine that with his loose temper and you have a recipe for a psycho in the movie. But King plays his hand differently. The book sees Jack Torrence as not a psycho but a broken man trying his best. In fact, Jack is the main protagonist, a flawed one but the story centers around him. Instead we see a man trying to escape his past. Jack's own father was a drunk who both loved and abused his family. A stark contrast that displays the horrible differences that the sauce can have on a person. Jack seems to have inherited his father's bad temper as well. Jack spirals into bouts of tormenting madness as the evil the hotel has in it pushes him farther and farther, only enhancing the problems with his film. Wendy, Jack's wife, is jealous of the love Jack and his son Danny share. During nightmares and trouble, Danny calls out for his father which troubles Wendy, especially after jack accidentally broke Dannys's arm. There are even hints in the book and the sequel Doctor Sleep that Jack has a bit of the shining like his son. So what happens to Jack that causes him so much anger? He gets stung. In one chapter, Jack reflects on his life's actions that have lead him to becoming to caretaker of the Overwatch hotel. Before he was a teacher at a prestigious school while fighting his alcoholism. His past flirting with disaster while as a drunk and his view that the world is out to sting him. While cleaning out a wasp nest in the hotel's roof, Jack curses his misfortune and thinks about the times that have stung him when he's lost control of his temper. Such as the hotel manager who seems to flaunt his power over Jack or the bratty kid who cut Jack's tires after being cut from the school's debate team. Even his wife Wendy seems to hold a grudge at Jack when he accidentally broke his son's arm. A fact she subtly uses in the book. How long does a sin hold over a man? How much pressure can a man take? You might recall a scene in the movie where Jack is shown the pressure gages that keep the Outlook from exploding. Never mentioned again in the movie but the book reminds us that the pressure is building in both the pipes and in Jack's mind until he forgets about the pressure. The hotel, which now has control over Jack seems to forget this fact as well and tries to force Jack to kill his family. Finally the pressure builds and Jack dies with the hotel when the pressure valves release. As the Outlook falls, a shadowy stingray creeps out over the mountain, one last sting for Jack. But Jack is a flawed protagonist, not a psychopath bending to cabin fever. Jack fears that his father's habits have infected him. What can a man do against his own genes? Can you inherit the sins of his father? Wendy isnt free of fear either. Sfears her own jealousy between Jack and Danny. It is likely that Danny prefers his dad over his mom. Could a child be used as a weapon between two parents? Could Jack be subconsciously using Danny to get his way as it becomes two against one? And then there's Danny. With his ability to shine into people's minds he knows his folks are feeling dark thoughts. Divorce. Bankruptcy. Suicide. With this you can see why King made his own movie in opposition to Kubrick's version. Kubrick has crafted a masterwork of horror bit it misses the subtle horror that the book projects.