20 Horror Movies So Good You Overlook Huge Flaws

4. The Shining - It Completely Misses The Point

Many films and shows get attacked for being unfaithful adaptations, and this is a debatable issue. On the one hand, it is inevitably frustrating when an adaptation misses the point of what it's adapting, but at the same time, shouldn't anything be judged objectively on its own merits? 

Well, regardless of where you stand, here's a movie that proves a terrible adaptation can still be a masterpiece in its own right: Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. 

Many will have been shocked to learn that Stephen King, the original novel's author, hated the film so much, but those who've read the book will get it. 

In the novel, Jack Torrance is a flawed but decent man who's gradually worn down by his inner demons, his past, and his struggle with writer's block. In fact, King based him partly on himself, as he was battling alcoholism when he was writing The Shining. In the movie, however, Torrance's backstory is thrown out, and he's a far less interesting character who seems kind of sinister from the very beginning. 

So yes, it deviates from the amazing source material, yet as a standalone piece, it works beautifully. It's a strong contender for the most technically brilliant horror film ever crafted, and there is perhaps no other psychological horror that burrows into your brain quite like this. Besides, regardless of the questionable choices for the character of Jack Torrance, Jack Nicholson's performance in the role is pure acting perfection, and that has to count for something.