1. In what ways does The Shining manoeuvre between the supernatural tale and the psychological drama? How does this combination help to make the story so terrifying?

[Jen]

Post your replies here.

[Pip]

I listened to an Audible version and I did not find it terrifying. I was so hung up on the improbabilities, such as topiary moving and attacking, that I was unable to take it seriously as a psychological drama.

[Paula]

The reader knows from the beginning that there is something malevolent at the hotel, but the scary thing is that something similar could happen without the supernatural influence. Everything could be explained as Jack having a mental breakdown and hallucinating, and Danny having an overactive imagination. When Danny goes to the play area and almost gets trapped in the concrete tunnel, it's something that could easily have happened to me as a child, except that the only thing threatening me would have been my own terror, not malevolent ghosts. Jack hallucinating that the topiary is moving is perfectly plausible, especially as everything is back where it was when the vision ends. Violent alcoholics murdering wife and son during a psychosis is not unheard of.

I found the story terrifying and had to put the book away for a bit several times, until I realized that most likely the story would have a (somewhat) happy ending. Knowing Jack/the hotel would lose made the hauntings a lot less scary.

[Patrick]

I am on the same page as Paula about this question. In his writing, King always leaves the possibility of a rational psychological explanation for the events/behaviours he describes. Combined with the supernatural ever present in his story, this creates the right amount of tension required for a thriller. Personally, I didn't find it so terrifying and, not having seen the movie, I wonder how much more frightening it would be on screen compared to the written word.

[Kristel]

I listened to the audio. I felt that the story was plausible as noted by Paula. The alcoholism, even the isolation and environment lends itself to "going crazy". The element of a child with "special sensory" is one that Stephen King likes. He has written several books with these specially gifted children. The movie is so well known and the pictures from the movie (I have not watched the movie, yet it is still known) makes it hard to create your own visuals. That being said, the movie follows the book so closely, you could watch the movie and know the book. I find I can read scary stuff better than I can watch it.