I think The Shining miniseries is a textbook example of why fidelity to the source material is not always a good thing. The TV version got all the plot details right, but forgot the scary. Kubrick’s version changed a lot of the plot, but got the most important thing right: it was actually frightening. Moreso, IMO, than the novel.
Also, I really wanted to punch the grown-up future Danny in the face. I think because he looked like that kid who used to hawk Encyclopedia Britannica on TV.
Well, if you don’t mind a slight hijack, I could say that the novel of The Shining scared the piss out of me!! I was only 16 or so when I read it; just when I was reading the part about the topiary hedges coming to life, my aunt snuck into the room I was in, and tickled the sole of my bare foot!! OMG! There was almost a hole in the ceiling!!
And you’re right, Zebra. I do kinda wish he’d killed her.
I agree about the Shining mini-series being better. The orginal is a good enough movie, but a poor adaptation. It views like Kubrick didn’t read the book, but read a few book reports on it before writing the script.
And since I’m in a blaphemous mood… the ** House On Haunted Hill** remake is much better than the Vincent Price version. Don’t get me wrong, I love VP, but the orginal movie is rather unscary and not much of a mystery either.
I’d say “Heaven Can Wait” with Warren Beatty was better than “Here Comes Mr. Jordan.”
How about Evil Dead II which was more or less a remake of Evil Dead. And the same for Tetsuo I and II
Well, if we’re gonna go down that road, you could include Jurassic Park II, except that, while it is essentially a remake, it’s not a GOOD remake.
I’m not a great fan of Charlton Heston, but the TV remake of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS in which he starred was in many ways better than the original, thanks in large part to the readdition of “The Common Man” character played by the late great British everyman, Roy Kinnear. Perfect would have been Paul Scofield starring in the remake.
The motion picture THE ADDAMS FAMILY left the TV version, which was classic, in the dust.
One of my favorite films is THE LION IN WINTER, starring Katherine Hepburn & Peter O’Toole. It is currently being remade for Showtime starring Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close. He’s a great choice, she ain’t, but the film really doesn’t need a remake to begin with. (OTOH, it does have a seduction scene between King Philip and Richard Lionheart (Timothy Dalton and Anthony Hopkins in the original), and Showtime feels honor bound to produce anything with a gay theme, so…