How Scary is The Shining?

[katiekat08]

The Shining is one of the best Stephen Kings books, in my opinion. The first time I read it I was in middle school. Consequently, it was very scary to me. Like, if someone broke my concentration by saying something to me/tapping my shoulder I would jump a foot in the air scary. One of the things that I love about this book though, is that even now, years later, it still gives me chills when I reread this book. The "scary" factor has not been lost. I think this is a thing that a lot of other books lack.

[Victoria_99]

It's not scarry at all.
Go ahead, read it.

[rssllue]

This book does indeed still have the "chill" factor.

[ALynnPowers]

It's pretty much like this:

[rssllue]

It's pretty much like this:

Quite accurate!

[auntdiva1]

I readThe Shining 25 years ago. I couldn't put it down and I was really heart pounding scared. The movie....not so much.

[DaintyFlower7]

King, like Hitchcock, is a master of the slow burn. You won't find jump-scares and gore (usually) in these pages, so if that's your bag, Shining (and most of King's other works) is likely not for you. But if you have an appreciation for writing so sharp it embeds itself in your mind like a splinter, you cannot go wrong with this most beloved of King's works. King has an uncanny knack for taking you on subtle journey into the heart of madness, often leaving you to wonder whether you fully came back when the last page was turned. If you enjoy The Shining, do not miss King's follow-up novel, Dr. Sleep, which follows Danny and his gift into adulthood and, once again, takes the reader into the deepest darkness of madness and fear.

DF7

[AHenderson42]

I was one of those people who felt kind of lukewarm about this book. While very well written, it made me more uncomfortable than it actually scared me. Instead of clenching with anticipation or feeling the heart rate increase that the movie (and King's other books) induce, I was...uncomfortable. This book made me squirm, and made me feel very anxious. I was paranoid of the little noises in my house until I was finished.

[jleach1973]

I believe The Shining is one of Stephen King's greatest classic horror stories. In this book, the suspense builds relentlessly as Jack's grip on reality begins to slip, first in small ways and then in much bigger ones. Throw in the isolation of the environment and the strange occurrences that happen more and more and you have a seriously creepy story. This book is not gory horror, it is much more psychological which can be much more terrifying.

[Sarah_Khan]

I didn't find The Shining scary at all. I think it all depends on how you let your imagination run wild. I also read the sequel called Doctor Sleep and again it wasn't scary, it was actually one of the worst books I've ever read. All the hype around The Shining made me believe it would be amazing but instead I was disappointed. If The Shining is one of Stephen King's best novels then I guess I won't be reading any of his other books.

[MsMartha]

King, like Hitchcock, is a master of the slow burn. You won't find jump-scares and gore (usually) in these pages, so if that's your bag, Shining (and most of King's other works) is likely not for you. But if you have an appreciation for writing so sharp it embeds itself in your mind like a splinter, you cannot go wrong with this most beloved of King's works. King has an uncanny knack for taking you on subtle journey into the heart of madness, often leaving you to wonder whether you fully came back when the last page was turned. If you enjoy The Shining, do not miss King's follow-up novel, Dr. Sleep, which follows Danny and his gift into adulthood and, once again, takes the reader into the deepest darkness of madness and fear.

DF7

This is a great description of a great book, and one of my favorite authors. Lately I've been thinking about rereading some of the older King novels.

[melly811]

If you liked The Shining, try Dr Sleep. It's meant to be a sequel of sorts. As with all Stephen King books, it's not conventially scary as much as thought provoking scary. You're not actually frightened until you put the book down and then the most random scenes from the book start to haunt you.

[michael_3165]

I am not one to get spooked by novels and this was no exception. I didn't feel the fear that the movie produced but I am a more visual person. Worth a read though I wouldn't read it twice

[[creativecluster]]

I watched this movie when I was younger it scared me so I decided to read the book now that I am older and see if it was still scary..... yea it is still scary not gonna lie. he certainly did a great job on this book for sure!!

[MaryHazelUpton]

The Shining is definitely one of Stephen King's scarier books. I think his scariest book is Pet Semetery, and my favorite of all his books is 'Salem's Lot. However, The Shining is one of his better books. As far as I am concerned, however, The King doesn't write any bad books! What I found most terrifying about The Shining was the Overlook, the old haunted hotel where the family comes to spend the winter as caretakers, and how as winter comes on, they no longer have the option to leave. The Overlook itself, as far as I am concerned, is as much a character in the book as the people. Don't read this book at night when you are alone!
The movie is good too, and very scary, but not as good or as scary as the book. I don't think a movie can be as scary as the book, because they have to leave so much out that can't be filmed or that they don't have time to include.