10 Films BETTER Than The Book They Were Based On

Stephen King famously has some grievances with Stanley Kubrick’s loose adaptation of his horror novel, though his stance has softened over the years.

King’s book is more of a straightforward haunted house story than the film; eventually Jack Torrance is literally possessed by the house and driven around like a murderous marionette.

Far more successful is Jack Torrance’s (Jack Nicholson) descent into madness in the film (Nicholson was at the peak of his powers and was unmatched in his skill playing unhinged characters). His gradually unravelling mental state caused by his lapse back into alcoholism and the nefarious influence of the Overlook Hotel; an archetype Stephen King describes as “The Bad Place” - a place of evil with a long history of death and misfortune, which has a deleterious effect on everyone who comes into contact with it.

Once again, the film’s Overlook Hotel is far more oppressive and downright weird. It’s unsettling to see a building as vast as the Overlook empty except for the family of three before we’re even introduced to the gruesome ghosts haunting its every corner.

The film and book divert more and more as they continue, eventually culminating in wholly different endings. The film is both the scarier and more holistically complete work.