The Shining (The Shining #1) (1977)

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HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2026

by Stephen King



Jack Torrance takes a winter caretaker job at the isolated Overlook Hotel, bringing his wife Wendy and young son Danny with him in hopes of rebuilding his life and finishing his writing. 



But Danny’s psychic sensitivity awakens a malevolent force, and the Overlook begins working on Jack’s anger, addiction, and resentment to turn him against his family, get access to his son’s gift, and manifest itself more fully in the world. 



The setting is one of the book’s strengths, and Stephen King uses it effectively. 


Stephen King


Dread accumulates slowly as the supernatural elements exploit forces that already exist within the family. 



The horror is grounded in real domestic fear, especially the fear of living with someone whose rage makes him unpredictable.



 Jack Torrance is not simply a monster. 



He is damaged, often sympathetic, and sometimes genuinely loving, but his alcoholism, self-pity, resentment, and lack of personal responsibility make him vulnerable to the Overlook in ways that feel both supernatural and painfully human. 



King has linked the book to his own fears about fatherhood and alcoholism. 



The book’s main weakness is also a familiar King weakness: it can become rambly and loaded with unnecessary detail, sometimes slowing down when the pressure should be building. 



Like most 500-page books, it could have stood some cutting. 



There are also moments when five-year-old Danny seems much older than his tender years, even allowing for his psychic gift and extraordinary circumstances. 



Still, it remains an effective portrait of a married couple and their child trapped with addiction, anger, and the nightmare of a disintegrating family.



"The Spark" (Hebrew)

"Enlightenment" (Czech)

"The Shine" (Greek)

"Shine" (Russian)

"Shining" (Polish)

"The Glow" (Hungarian)

"Ghost Hotel" (Thai)

"Flair" (Finnish)

"The Hotel of Evil" (Norwegian)

"Clairvoyance" (Croatian)

"Warning" (Swedish)

"Dim Light" (Chinese)

"The Boy Who Shone" (Danish)

"The Child of Light" (French)

"The Second Sight" (Dutch)

"Unusual Splendor" (Spanish)

"A Splendid Death Party" (Italian)

"The Shining" (Portuguese)

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