too scared

[Lori]

Wow, I must be a real chicken. I do think that I am. I found both the book and the Jack Nicholson version of the movie to be absolutely terrifying. It blows me away to hear so many people say that it isn't scary at all. I remember reading the book and getting to a point where I was so scared that I put the book down for a few months. I was able to finish it after the scare went away. And I watched the original movie back in the day when I could still watch scary movies. Those days are past now. I had the same reading experience with Pet Cemetary. Very scary indeed.

[Bill]

I read the book years ago right after it was written and I loved it. It was probably the second or third SK book I ever read. I remember being excited about seeing the movie and coming away from it with somewhat a sense of disappointment. I think that is when I learned that no horror can be as intense as that which our minds eye can fabricate. :) That being said, upon re-reading the book Jack Nicholson was the face I saw when the character of Jack Torrance appeared in the book.

[Maria]

By far the Scariest book from Stephen King is the Shining, I always laugh when I think of the scene on friends when Joey keeps his copy of the shining in the freezer cus hes so scared of it! LOL- There are some parts in the book that arent in the movie- like the wasps nest and the apiary animals etc. Both parts tho scare the hell out of me and Im 42!

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

I enjoyed this book but didn't find it frightening.

[Barry]

Fear is subjective. What terrifies one person may be totally reasonable to another. Just like any other individual trait - what's funny to one is boring to another, disgusting or charming, romantic or repulsive, subtle or bombastic.

That said...I find the original 'Shining' film to be utterly boring, trite, silly, bombastic, and just plain overrated. There, I said it.

But the book? SCARY. Very quiet, very eerie, very calculating and cunning as it orchestrates and builds its machinations of terror upon a foundation of subtlety that undermine your entire understanding of where terror can be found and what it can turn into.

But again, that's just me - and that shows against many of the reviewers on this page who find the book to be "somewhat" scary and the movie terrifying and even more favorable.

Too scared to read 'The Shining' for its reputation? Well, you won't know just how scary it really gets until you give it a chance...and once you do...you might end up deciding to leave the lights on in your room from then on.

Sleep well.

[Elia]

Judy wrote: "I really want to read this book, but I get scared so easily and I hear this book is super scary"

I was scared to read it too, because lots of people say it's one of the scariest books ever, but once I read it I actually found it bery boring and dissappointing. Didn't find it remotely scary.

[Diana]

I read this book and it scared the shit out of me but it was my favorite book, so I would keep reading it and keep scaring the shit out of myself. King is that great of an author, he makes you want to scare yourself with his books. Go on and read it, it's not real... :)

[David]

This is one of my all time favorite books. I didn't think it was scary, but most media like things and print don't much scare me. It was more of a thriller. And it was awesome.

[Vicki]

Sorry to say it, and I have PLENTY of imagination, but NONE of his books have ever scared me.
Especially not after reading Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker and now Brian Keene.
If you're going to write horror, which is pretty hard to believe from the word go, then you should at least make OTHER information in the book actually believable - and he's never done that. All of his books have so many mistakes that result from little to no research that it operates as a strike against him.
He said himself that he's "trying to sew a fine seam when convincing people that the story could be real," so I don't know why he didn't take his own advice and at least do SOME research in the areas that all the "lesser" authors have been expected to research and include in their stories.
But not him, b/c he's special and never has to do a lick of research - so fine. Don't do the research.
But don't expect anyone to believe or be scared of your work either.

And if you want to see real fear, take a ride on the ambulance for a day. You'll see things that make Stephen King AND his tales pretty damn pale in comparison.

That's my opinion of the whole matter, and you know what they say about those.
I don't expect people to have the same opinion as I do anyway. Especially since my viewpoint has always been directly based on my own experiences.

[Barry]

Vicki: kudos to you for your disclaimer about it being your opinion. NOT because I disagree with you about King, but because you're smart about knowing how your opinion is your own, and not some kind of factual/empirical baloney like many people tend to spout off.

[Benjamin]

I loved both the book and the movie, but I think the book is better (of course). The only thing that the movie improved on, IMO, was that one bit showing Jack at his typewriter, with the phrase "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" printed on page after page. Spine-chilling.

[Kevin]

One of King's best in my opinion, and scariest. I don't think the movie and the book are worth comparing. Without Jack Nicholas in that movie, it would have been a bomb. What makes the book is the overall atmosphere, as well as, each character- not one that steals the show!!

After reading some of the messages, I am interested in knowing how old some of you were when you read The Shining and in what year. Are people in the last 10-15 years more desensitized to violence or "scariness?" And what do you think is scary? When I read The Shining some 25 years ago or so, there was little out there like it. I guess its like me saying that the Exorcist is the scariest movie ever made, but someone much younger may look at it and laugh, and think that a more current horror movie is far and away more horrifying. Has scary changed all that much?

[Judy]

I have read all of Stephen King's Books. I like them all. Have you read Under the Dome? What an imagination to be able to write like this.

[Judy]

I loved this book. I have been reading Stephen King since the movie Carrie came out. I now have all his books except the newest ones and I am working on getting them. I wish I could write like he does!! I have read all his books more than once. I like rereading books it is like visiting an old friend.

[Pat]

I think this book is great. (The movie didn't live up to the book at all.) But, the question is whether it's scary. I read The Shining 32 years ago. I had been married less than 2 years. I loved reading it at night but would get so scared that I would have to wake my husband up and say,"Please talk to me for a little while until I can fall asleep." No other book has ever scared me so much in that way. Good thing I was a newlywed. Now, he would just roll over and go back to sleep and I might not sleep at all!

[Barbara]

Donna wrote: "I absolutely hated the movie. I watched it again a few weeks ago and found my hatred completely justified. Stephen King didn't like it either, if that's any help :)
The book, though, is great. It'..."

Ha ha, Donna - when Nicholson was running around with the axe, did you find yourself wishing he'd hurry up and get Duvall, just to stop her horrid screaming?

Really, though, as is usually the case, you just can't compare the book and the movie. The book - so much better, because all of the creepiness is created in your own mind.

I've read a lot of King's work, and always find that I have the same complaint - suspense is building, subtly disturbing images are in place, beginning to graze genuine horror - and then, it gets silly. The only book that I didn't feel that way about was The Dead Zone, which is somewhat different than his usual fare.

I would say go for it. You will probably be frightened by some things, but eventually it will just settle into the frenzied rhythm of a thriller, and you won't feel scared any more.

[Lauren (aplpeach)]

The book goes into much more detail than the movie so, be prepared if you want to read it. I would definitely recommend it. I am Stephen Kings like number 1 fan.

[Pat]

Scary, Lauren. Just like in Misery!

[Kelly]

I have to say that out of all of the Stephen King books I have read, this did not scare me. IT scares me and I still have never been able to finish it in its entirety. The movie scared me and the book is ten times worse. The Shining, yeah scary, but not unreadable.

[Amanda]

To me the whole point of reading King's books is to be scared. This is one of the more creepy ones I've read. How about you watch the movie version first (which is awesome) and then decide if you want to read the book? I promise you the film is very scary.

http://divaliciouzbookreviews.blogspo...

[Maxine]

The Shining was inspired by King's stay in a hotel that was very much like the one that he wrote about. It was called the Stanley Hotel and is reported to be quite haunted. The show Ghost Hunters went there and checked it out. They got a lot of evidence.
If you consider this when you read the book, it may scare you more than usual. I, for one, love books that make me afraid to put my feet on the floor.

[Elaine]

Steven King made me discover I love scary stories. His book Misery rocked me. The Shining was better. But the book in my top ten is The Shawshank Redemption. Masterful. The dude can write!

[Carroll]

Judy, it's really good in my opinion. I thought it was scarier than the movie. I will tell you, I am a Stephen King fan and his stories scare me, but only one had me sleeping with the lights on...'Salems Lot. I'm scared right now just thinking about it!

[C. J.]

If books do affect you that much I guess you could read mystery or a completely different genre.

Or maybe that is judging. I don't know.

It can be pretty scary if you are afraid of the "unknown" and the supernatural.

It is also a lot of writing for fun. It should be enjoyed and not just feared. . .

[Bill]

The Shining was a very good book and has scary parts. It has been many years since I read The Shining and since I made a promise to myself to make 2012 the year of the re-reads I plan on re-visting the Overlook Hotel.

I believe that SK's book "It" was by far his best and scariest book to date.

[C. J.]

The TV movie remake is not bad either. . . Stephen King does a great adaptation to his own work.

That scene with the ghost in that specially numbered room is brief but still has a good jump with it.

It was good and the book is better.

[C. J.]

Stephen King's works are very detailed so they become seemlingly real.

Speaking of getting "too scared" there are many examples of his short-stories that got under my skin. One very unusual one was "The Moving Finger" because I personally had a very uncomfortable problem with that kind of situation (self-conscious with the bathroom), others that were seemingly real. . . and "The Boogeyman" which was a creature that would not stop terrorizing a family. . . it should have been in a Tales From the Darkside story it was good!

I no longer read King. I may get back to him though if some of these current writers continue to get on my nerves (annoyance not fear! lol).

[Daniel]

if it gets too scary for you, remember to have room for it in the freezer
{friends reference for all those who know what im talking about ;) }

[Becky]

The thing that freaks me out EVERY time I watch this movie is the part in the hallway with the chopped up girls UGH

[Jeremy]

this is my favorite king book... i don't know why, but i don't get scared by books like i do with movies... maybe because there's no sound
anyway, that aside, it is a top notch story from beginning to end, and i love the setting

[Kariann]

Scary scary scary but I can't wait for part two to be released. Went on YouTube and Stephen king read the 1st chapter and it seems like it will be good!

[Daniel]

Jeremy wrote: "this is my favorite king book... i don't know why, but i don't get scared by books like i do with movies... maybe because there's no sound
anyway, that aside, it is a top notch story from beginning..."

yeah i know, the atmosphere has to be just right and the narrative visceral enough to get at least a drop of sweat from books

[Deborah]

Bridget wrote: "The Jack Nicholson movie is just a great scary movie. I don't try and compare it to the book, they are too different. The Shining is a very great read, and if you are like me, my imagination gets g..."
I loved the Stand too.. one of my favourites. The book IT was the first stephen King book i ever read and nabbed it from my brothers room. That scared me sooo much as a 15 year old kid. I was afraid to sleep with the lights off for a very long time. I loved Cell, but hated the ending.

[Susie]

I read the book when I was young, and I didn't really think it was as good as everyone says. I read it again recently and it was amazing. It's a complex psychological work.

[Daniel]

Susie wrote: "I read the book when I was young, and I didn't really think it was as good as everyone says. I read it again recently and it was amazing. It's a complex psychological work."

more reason to call it an adult book (although i read it last year and loved it-i am15)

[Crystal]

I loved this book. Much better than the movie. I don't think it's too scary.

[Samantha]

Bridget wrote: "The Jack Nicholson movie is just a great scary movie. I don't try and compare it to the book, they are too different. The Shining is a very great read, and if you are like me, my imagination gets g..."

I also think that the book and movie have to be taken as separate entities. I like the book much better, but I think the movie has its qualities on its own merit. But the book is engaging and thrilling and one of my definite favorites. I think one of the things that ruined the movie for me most was Shelley Duvall. :(

[Kallie~ Can'tLive-WithOrWithoutYou]

The Shining was the second Stephen King book I read (Pet Cemetary being the first)...nither was really THAT scary, King writes Pyscological thrillers...it takes a little bit of thought to figure out what you're reading, and when you do, THEN it's pretty creepy. I was so scared after I finished both books, I was shaking and almost in tears. It was AWESOME!!! For a quick scare, The Shining and Pet Cemetary are totally worth it. I think I'll read IT next...

[Howard]

There was a period where Steven King could do nothing wrong, this was either the second or thrid of his novels that I had read and found each capitvating. He had the gift of exposing the clay feet of the mundane in such a manner that it takes awhile to look at them the same.

[[deleted user]]

Judy wrote: "I really want to read this book, but I get scared so easily and I hear this book is super scary"

When it gets too scary, just stick it in the refridgerator like Joey did in "Friends."

[[deleted user]]

Valerie wrote: "Judy wrote: "I really want to read this book, but I get scared so easily and I hear this book is super scary"

This was the first Steven King book I read and it was sooo good. How scary it is depen..."

The scariest scene in the Book are all the chapters involving Rm 217.


The scariest scenes in the movie are
1. The rm 227 scene.
2. The twins standing in the middle of the Hall way.
3. "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. "

[Michael]

I am a teenager and I am not easily scared, but, there are some things that I fear, is this very scary? Or is it slightly scary?

[[deleted user]]

Michael wrote: "I am a teenager and I am not easily scared, but, there are some things that I fear, is this very scary? Or is it slightly scary?"

It all depends. People see the imitations, the ripoffs before they see the original horror movies that inspired them.

Example: some people have seen friday the 13th BEFORE 1978 version of Halloween. The tragic result of that is not being affected by John Carpenter's Master piece.

[Lobna]

it's scary but Thrilling is more like it :D
I loved it

[Michael]

Jason wrote: "Michael wrote: "I am a teenager and I am not easily scared, but, there are some things that I fear, is this very scary? Or is it slightly scary?"

It all depends. People see the imitations, the rip..." well i bought a copy and figured it isn't very scary. I'm right so far, i have a pretty wicked imagination, but i'm up for the task

[[deleted user]]

Michael wrote: "Jason wrote: "Michael wrote: "I am a teenager and I am not easily scared, but, there are some things that I fear, is this very scary? Or is it slightly scary?"

It all depends. People see the imita..."

His scariest books as far as Horror in the tradtional sense,are "It", "Pet Semetary" and Salems Lot.

But hang in there, onece you get to the "217" scenes in the book, I think you'll be satisfied.

By the way I personally think, The movie is better.

[Janese]

The Shining was a really good read, I recommendi it. It wasn't too scary, not like IT was. Give it a try!

[Michael]

okay i think i will read it all, i'm already 200 and something pages through with it

[Daniel]

tell us what you thought of it when you are finished :)