Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) has proven to be one of the most divisive films in the horror canon, lauded and derided in equal measure. For acolytes of Kubrick, it’s a masterpiece, a singular work of art that expands upon its source material; for diehard crusaders of Stephen King, it’s a travesty, a big-budget spook flick that runs roughshod over the classic novel that bears its name. Regardless of the controversy it has engendered, its impact throughout pop culture is undeniable, with references appearing in everything from Toy Story to The Simpsons. Despite all of this, King himself has been outspoken in his distaste for the film, describing it as ‘a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine,’ chastising Kubrick for having mangled his vision, and going so far as to mount his own made-for-TV remake in 1997.
In Recasting Call, we explore those properties that could benefit from a fresh new look, and offer up our take on who might best fit the bill. Given the recent resurgence of all things King, we’re devoting our inaugural entry to that most hallowed and heated of horror films, The Shining. “Blasphemy!” you scream. “How dare you?” And your humble scribe just smiles and nods, and beckons for you to strap in.
Producer / Director (Stanley Kubrick): Guillermo del Toro / J.A. Bayona
Though it may seem obvious, there’s no better choice than the executive producer and director whose combined efforts resulted in The Orphanage, that 2007 miracle of Spanish surreality. A dream pairing whose respective filmographies boast such titles as The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, and A Monster Calls, del Toro and Bayona bring a unique sensitivity and an essence of magical realism to the horror genre, one that would lend credence to the tale of a beleaguered family under threat from the forces of darkness.
Screenplay (Stanley Kubrick / Diane Johnson): Sam Shaw
To capture the essence of The Shining, you need someone with a feel for the human impact of the proceedings, beyond those of the supernatural. Couple this with a mastery of nonlinear plotting, an ear for naturalistic dialogue, and a willingness to surrender to silence, and you’ve got the screenwriter responsible for the Castle Rock episode “The Queen”, one of the most unusual and devastating hours of TV in recent memory. In his hands, the saga of three people trapped with only their demons for company would carry the emotional heft of a classical tragedy.
Score (Wendy Carlos): Disasterpeace
Trailblazing to her core, synth pioneer Wendy Carlos pushed the boundaries of electronic scoring in each of her collaborations with Kubrick, culminating in her desolate and foreboding score for The Shining. Though the majority of musical cues in the film were culled from a variety of modernist composers, it was Carlos who provided The Shining with its theme, thus setting the mood for the rest of the film and advancing the use of electronic music in cinema.
To find a modern equivalent, one need look no further than Richard Vreeland, known professionally as Disasterpeace. Vreeland’s already classic score for It Follows utilizes an array of synthesized sounds and techniques to elicit everything from pastoral calm to frenzied terror, with a dedication to texture and a gorgeous sense of melody separating his work from the standard barrage of sting chords and drones that define much of modern horror scoring.
The most common criticism leveraged against Kubrick’s Shining lies in the casting of its leads, particularly that of Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, the alcoholic patriarch of the clan. Nicholson, who had secured his place as one of Hollywood’s top leading men by the spring of 1980, has a trademark style marked by frenetic energy and manic mugging—a method that landed him an Oscar for the role of R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but which reduced the role of Jack from a struggling substance abuser to a leering, catchphrase-spouting boogeyman. To find that perfect balance between hero and antihero, you need someone who can capture the wounded soul of a fractured family man, and no one can do it better than David Harbour.
Harbour languished in bit parts for years before landing his breakout role as Chief Jim Hopper on Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers’ ode to ‘80s nostalgia. As the moral authority in a small town beset by evil forces, Harbour brings a rugged sensitivity to a role that could collapse into caricature in lesser hands. Throughout the series, he allows his character’s tragic backstory to illuminate and inform his performance, without ever giving in to histrionics. Always believable, painfully real, he would be the perfect vehicle for the ghosts of the Overlook.
Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall): Naomi Watts
This was by far the hardest role to cast. Wendy is a complex figure, a battered woman who drifts between denial and the cold snap of reality. While years of abuse have weathered her spirit, she remains protective of her son, and it is through her awareness of the threat that Jack poses that she summons the strength to defy him.
It is a role that calls for a wide range, for someone who can straddle the line between victim and victor. Throughout production of The Shining, Kubrick employed abusive tactics on set to reduce Shelley Duvall to little more than a cowering, shrieking wraith onscreen, but Wendy deserves much more. Naomi Watts has proven herself time and again to have access to every tool in her arsenal, often in the same role—one need look no further than her multifaceted ingénue in Mulholland Drive to see the polar extremes she can inhabit, even within a single scene. Her Wendy would be the empowering force she was always meant to be.
Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd): Jackson Robert Scott
Danny is the heart of The Shining, the target for the Overlook’s ghostly rage. It is his psychic ability that sets the story in motion, and which holds the key to his family’s salvation. Danny Lloyd did a fine job in Kubrick’s rendition, maintaining his innocence as the horrors increased; he has since stated that he never even knew he was in a horror film at all, as the cast and crew shielded him from the true nature of his performance. Jackson Robert Scott, on the other hand, is clearly aware of what he is doing, as his heartbreaking performance as George Denbrough in It and his titular role in The Prodigy attest. He is that rare child actor whose precociousness lends him a wisdom beyond his years, a sensibility that would ignite the role of a boy who finds himself at the center of a spiritual tug of war.
Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers): Avery Brooks
Dick Hallorann plays a pivotal role in the King oeuvre, serving as an emissary to the other side in The Shining, It, and Doctor Sleep. It is he who first recognizes the extent of Danny’s powers, and he who warns him away from the evil within the hotel. Dick is a crucial figure in the mechanics of The Shining, and deserves an actor of the highest caliber.
Scatman Crothers nailed the part in 1980, lending a sweet sensitivity to Dick’s world-weary walk through the shadows. To find a worthy successor, we need someone with a commanding presence and an aura of mystery, a figure who would be just as likely to fight the forces of evil as he would to come to the aid of a child. Avery Brooks, whose turns in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and American History X have lent him a requisite air of authority, would be the best possible choice.
Delbert Grady (Philip Stone): Jackie Earle Haley
In the right hands, the part of Delbert Grady might prove to be the most incendiary in the film. Grady, the spectral family eliminator who vacated his charge as caretaker of the hotel, serves as the primary force driving Jack to emulate his crimes. While Philip Stone did a passable job as the demon on Jack’s shoulder, Jackie Earle Haley would destroy this role, summoning the cold, vicious brutality that made his turns in Watchmen, Little Children, and A Nightmare on Elm Street so indelibly disturbing.
Lloyd (Joe Turkel): Doug Jones
Lloyd embodies the edifice of the Overlook, the timeless elegance that belies its sinister heart. From his perch behind the bar in the Gold Room, he serves as the needling catalyst who ever so subtly drives Jack close to the brink, enabling his addiction with the utmost poise and class. Joe Turkel did an excellent job of securing the darkness within, never betraying his true intentions behind the lurking glimpse of a smile; he would find a contemporary in Doug Jones, that shambling scarecrow who has long since mastered the art of emoting behind a mask.
Stuart Ullman (Barry Nelson): Pat Sajak
Right, like it never occurred to you.
So where do you fall on our list? Would you pony up the cash to see it? Should it be locked away forever, never to see the light of day? I personally think this is long overdue, and would kill to see the project above. Which other films should we recast? File your complaints below.
