BOINK!
The Shining, Ep. 3 (Miniseries) (5/1/1997)
***Spoilers ahead!***
See, this is where the book gets sort of acid trippy. It works on the page, but not within the context of this weirdass soap opera. When Danny gets his psychic visions while staring at the clock and walking into the presidential suite? Just goofy.
I’ve read in several places that this movie “went farther” in terms of violence than the Kubrick version. But where and how? It’s no more gruesome, no more bloody. And certainly not nearly as scary. Well, okay — Steven Weber’s face covered in blood is pretty spooky. But the croquet mallet in place of the axe, while more book accurate, is freaking Looney Toons. “BOINK! WROOOOOONG!”
Look, I get why Stephen King wanted a redo on Kubrick’s version. There’s no better metaphor for the difference between the two of them than the ending. Instead of Jack Nicholson freezing to death, the whole Overlook combusts in a fiery explosion. Yes, this movie is warmer than Kubrick’s ice cold take on The Shining, and thus more similar to the novel. Maybe there’s a version that could split the difference between the two and still be a masterpiece. But brother, it ain’t this.
Some final fun facts: Part 3 has a ton of wild cameos. Frank Darabont, who directed Shawshank and Green Mile and Mist, is a ghoooost! Sam Raimi, AKA OG director of Spiderman, is the snowplow rental guy! And look! There’s Stephen King! Looking like he’s having the TIME OF HIS LIFE as a bandleader! Worth watching for those thirty seconds alone.
Wendy Torrance (Rebecca de Mornay)
Wendy plays this part ably. It’s a shame that there are three hours of the most boring movie you ever did see preceding it, because at this point it’s hard to care.
I appreciated her defiance towards the Overlook’s ghosts, who she knows can’t hurt her, and even towards Jack, her very real and very cuckoo bananas husband. She won’t be cowed! Though she’s also unintentionally hilarious at times — I don’t know what it is about the way she bellows “RUN AND HIDE DANNY!” but I couldn’t keep it together.
Get Maggie Koons’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
There’s just not much to say about her. Of the trio, she’s the least interesting. Jack is popping off, Danny is…Idk how to describe Danny without being mean, and Wendy is just defending herself and mostly not losing her cool. I think the power of Shelley Duvall’s performance is that she’s hysterically upset! And news flash: it’s not sexist for women to be hysterically upset in the face of radical supernatural danger! 4/10
Waitress (Shawnee Smith)
We run through a whole bunch of quick female characters as we watch Dick Hallorann make his way to the Overlook. She’s the first one we see, dancing with Hallorann in a jukebox diner. “Bump me, Big Daddy!” 7/10 for being fun.
Old Lady in Diner (Joyce Bulifant)
“Miser, you better sit down and be quiet a minute while I call 911!” Nah, later bitch! 6/10
Lady in Bookstore (Lois Hicks)
“Are you alright, sir?” And he doesn’t even answer her. Rude. 6/10
Car Rental Clerk in Denver Airport (Wendelin Harston)
“Oh, this is the biggest storm in ten years! I think it’s kinda fun!” Okay, I lived in Colorado for nearly twenty years, and let me tell you, an airport worker would NEVER EVER call a blizzard “kinda fun.” 1/10
Redheaded Ghost (Lisa Thornhill)
Billed as “Rita Hayworth Lookalike,” this ghost is hot and horny, rubbing up against a drunk Jack and flashing him a decaying smile. Fine, she’d get me. When Jack calls her “Horace Derwent’s toy,” she slaps him. Good! Bastard. 9/10
Miss Jenkins (Uncredited)
Principal of Stovington Prep, which Danny/Tony graduates from with high honors. “You’re gonna knock ’em dead at Duke!” I think we know from Doctor Sleep that Danny’s future is, um, not so bright. 0/10 for being part of this ridiculous addendum.
