How Scary is The Shining?

[alegator28]

I was a little disappointed when I read this book just because it wasn't as scary as I hoped it to be. I am looking forward to IT - I hear that one is much scarier!

[lyndsie_anna]

The Shining the book is a lot different from The Shining the movie. I feel like there's a reason that the opening credits say Stanley Kubrick's rather than Stephen King's. I actually read the book just recently, before I'd ever seen the movie, and it's one of my girlfriend's favorites so then we watched it together. And to me, they aren't really even comparable. But the book is scarier in the sense that it delves a lot more into Danny's character and the psychoses that each character begins to experience. There's actually a really interesting documentary on Netflix called Room 237, that discusses Kubrick's intent with the alterations he made to the plot. I would suggest at least watching the movie beforehand though, so it doesn't ruin anything for you.

[lemming]

I am really interested in reading the Shining. Halloween is approaching us and I always like curling up with my classic horrors.

However, I'm hesitant. How scary is the Shining? What am I going to expect while reading it? Will I be able to sleep at night?

-- 09 Sep 2013, 21:57 --

Also- I considered The Shining a classic- but I could have mis-categorized. If so, I do apologize!

I feel the book is scarier than the movie. I have a thread about the shining here http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewto ... 22&t=15897

[Amberle]

To me, the scariest things in the novel are the most boring aspects of the movie, and vice versa. Both scared the pants off of me, but for completely different reasons, and at totally different points in the story.

[KDI70]

I thought "The Shining" was a great book, not really terrifying but the moments of "hair standing on end" were definitely there.

[chelseabee45]

I actually found it kind of boring. I didn't dislike it, but to say I really enjoyed reading it would be false. There was no tension for me, personally, and nothing I can recall that was really scary. I would say it is as frightening as you are a visual reader.

I can agree with that somewhat. There were many parts in the book ( mainly the beginning) where I was bored. I kept puttintg it down and didn't pick it up for days. Near the ending it got better for me. It was a little creepy but never really scared me.

[S dot Lennon]

I read The Shining for the first time when I was 11 and it gave me nightmares. I read it again last year and it still gave me nightmares. The book was way scarier than the movie. Stephen King wrote an amazing psychological horror novel! I loved it, it has always been one of my favorites. I rank it was up there on the horrifying list. You should definitely try it!

[Swalka1991]

Personally, I don't find so-called scary books very frightening at all. It's difficult to convey the intensity needed for fright in the pages of a book. I suppose I'm a product of radio and film, where sound lends a lot more towards my fear than simply scanning the words on a page.

Stephen King is a pretty good author, though, and knows his medium. So it is definitely an interesting read. Just not something I personally find bone-chilling.

[RILENTLISS]

Never read the book, but the movie was pretty disturbing. lol! The book has to be at least two times better!

[Superchoby]

I gave The Shining a try as my first horror book and Stephen King did a very good job. Definitely a good first horror book to read.

[a_mon_avis]

I also thought the book was scarier than the movie, a few parts in particular. There were some parts which Kubrick changed, and there are interviews with Stephen King saying that he didn't particularly like the movie. The book is relatively short and a very good read! It involves a lot more of the family's back story, which I think is pretty integral to the ending.

[violetpretty]

I found the book to be quite haunting and creepy. The film, although scary, didn't live up to the book in my opinion. I loved the book and think it is one of Stephen King's finest.

[saviolo]

Hm. Scary? Not exactly. Its sense of horror is really confined to one place (the Overlook) and I never felt that the thing there could be in my home too. But as a story, it grabbed me right from the start. As with most of Kings work, I really cared about the characters and I didn't want anything bad to happen to them. That's what I think he does really well, and a lot of horror fiction doesn't.

[shayna]

VERY SCARY. I would not recommend reading it at night. Or while alone.

Or maybe at all.

[AnaF]

I had to make a second attempt at this book to finish. the first time I wasn't really into it but then, when I picked it up for the second time I really enjoyed it. Honestly, I didn't think it was scary to the point of not sleeping that night, but there were some parts that were definitely spooky.