Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining may just be the most famous Stephen King adaptation of all time, but the film is sorely lacking when it comes to its depiction of Wendy Torrance. Taking place in the deeply evil grounds of the haunted Overlook Hotel, both the novel and the film of The Shining describe writer Jack Torrance’s descent into madness as he attempts to murder his family while acting as the resort’s caretaker in the off winter season. Stephen King famously dislikes Kubrick’s movie, and Wendy Torrance is a huge part of why.

Stephen King has vocally taken issue with the film’s version of Wendy, and upon comparing her with the original model, it’s easy to say why. That’s not even to mention the controversial conditions actress Shelley Duvall had reportedly faced on set, though recent evidence suggests Kubrick’s treatment of Duvall may have been exaggerated. Either way, the version of Wendy that made it to screen in 1980 leaves much to be desired when compared to her original character.

10

Wendy Has More Of A Sense Of Humor

Duvall’s version is quite humorless by comparison

Another character that isn’t done justice in Kubrick’s version of The Shining is Dick Hallorann, the cook of the Overlook Hotel that becomes instrumental in saving Danny and Wendy from Jack. In the film, Hallorann mostly exists just to be killed off, but still fulfills his role of bonding with Danny and explaining to him the ability to shine. When they first meet, Danny and Hallorann share a fun moment of comedy, while Wendy simply smiles and watches.

In the book, Wendy is much more of an active speaker, joining Dick in attempting to make Danny laugh with a Bugs Bunny impression. Of course, the main purpose of this scene is to introduce Dick and Danny’s shared ability, but the novel also uses it as an opportunity to characterize Wendy is a mother than can be just as playful as she is protective. In the movie, Wendy doesn’t get any such focus, instead just being dumbfounded that Hallorann knows about Danny’s nickname.

9

Wendy Actually Comes Close To Divorcing Jack Before The Overlook

Wendy is able to recognize her dangerous position earlier

While the movie and book versions of Jack Torrance are both quite different, it’s safe to say he was a dangerous man in both even before the Overlook Hotel’s influence seeps into him. In both versions, Jack actually accidentally breaks Danny’s arm in a drunken stupor during one of his most alarming episodes. While Shelley Duvall’s Wendy doesn’t have much of a reaction to this, book Shelley takes this slight very seriously, and almost considers divorcing Jack for it, not to mention his many other red flags.

Ultimately, this difference can be chalked up to the changes in the film medium, with audiences unable to get into Wendy’s mind the same way King is able to. Still, Kubrick could’ve included more agency in Wendy’s story by finding a way to clearly portray that she was on the brink of leaving Jack. This is just one of the many alarming differences between The Shining‘s book and movie, particularly with regard to Wendy’s character.

8

Wendy Is A More Avid Reader In The Book

Wendy actually has hobbies beyond running and crying in the novel

In The Shining, Wendy doesn’t have terribly many personality traits for audiences to latch on to. Beyond her status as a mother and a damsel in distress, there isn’t an especially big window into Wendy’s personal life, even when it comes to simple details like her hobbies. In the book, Wendy is shown to be a prolific reader, tackling paperbacks Victoria Holt and Chaselmara over the course of the story.

In the films, this hobby is only vaguely hinted at, with a single shot of Wendy reading Catcher In The Rye, a much more recognizable tome that anyone might pick up while fighting off boredom in an isolated hotel. Beyond a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of a collection of books in the Torrance household that may or may not belong to Wendy, this is the furthest her literary side goes in the movie. It’s safe to say King addressed Wendy’s love of reading enough to justify what may have initially drawn her to Jack, a writer, in the first place.

7

Wendy Knows Her History Better Than Jack

The movie was apt to give Wendy’s lines to Jack

The original story of The Shining clearly took real-life inspiration from multiple sources, with the Overlook Hotel being based on a real place, albeit one that isn’t nearly as desecrated of grounds. There are other references to real-world history made more overt in the chilling isolation of the story’s setting, which are directly pointed out by characters within. Most importantly, the comparison is made between the Torrances’ situation and the infamously disastrous Donner party, a journey through snowy terrain that really happened with disastrous consequences.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining has a bad habit of mining Wendy for her dialogue only to redistribute her lines to other characters. This happens when making the point of comparison between the Overlook and the site of the grisly Donner party incident, which resulted in a similarly violent ending to Jack’s psychotic break. In the book, Wendy is the one who recognizes how far West the Donner party made it before resorting to cannibalism, whereas it’s Jack who brings up the incident in the movie.

6

Wendy Is Something Of A Blonde Bombshell In The Books

Shelley Duvall’s appearance doesn’t match Wendy’s book look

When it comes to the most drastic differences between book Wendy and movie Wendy, her physical appearance is one of the most dramatic. The timidity of Kubrick’s interpretation of her character shines through in Shelley Duvall’s looks; a brunette with a modest fashion sense and an unassuming overall style. This couldn’t be more different from King’s vision of Wendy, described as a true knockout in the book.

Stephen King’s The Shining describes Wendy looking like something of a blonde bombshell, with an almost movie star level of beauty. She doesn’t shy away from her good looks either, drawing stares during the family’s first visit to the Overlook Hotel with her stunning wardrobe. That’s not to say that Shelley Duvall isn’t conventionally attractive, but in terms of King’s description, the movie colors Wendy’s general appearance, sense of style, and the way she carries herself with a clear insecurity miles apart from the source material.

5

Wendy Is Stronger And Stands Up To Her Husband More

The biggest difference between book and movie versions

If there’s one massive difference between the Wendy of the book and the Wendy of Kubrick’s film, it’s her assertiveness and sense of overall agency. In the film, Wendy is a shrieking, helpless victim of Jack’s rampage. She’s barely able to hold a baseball bat, let alone stand up to her abusive husband, and barely escapes his wrath even when her child is threatened. This might be a more realistic reaction to the very different movie Jack, who is unhinged from the very beginning, but ultimately dilutes the strength of her character.

In the book, Wendy fights back against her husband much more actively. She isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with him when necessary, even breaking his arm in a scuffle towards the beginning of his rampage. It’s a shame the movie wasn’t able to get across this aspect of Wendy, turning her into a much more passive role in the overarching narrative by the end of The Shining.

4

Book Wendy Is Hyper Vigilant

Wendy is well aware of her husband’s violent tendencies

In the movie, Jack Torrance is presented as much more unhinged and dangerous from the start. The Overlook Hotel’s depravity is more of an excuse for him to finally indulge in the feelings he’s had all along rather than being a loving father who is corrupted by the hotel’s demons as in the book. This makes it all the more unbelievable that Wendy is somehow less observant in the film than she is in the book.

Though Wendy loves her husband in the book, she makes no mistake in keeping vigilant of his activities considering his violent past. She reads his manuscript much earlier in the novel, which doesn’t feature the reveal that all Jack has been writing is the same sentence, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” over and over again as in the film. When she can help it, book Wendy doesn’t let her husband out of her sight, and ensures Danny’s safety above all else.

3

Book Wendy Has A Better Relationship With Danny

In the novel, she isn’t as dumbfounded by her son’s abilities

The relationship between Wendy and her son is another element that doesn’t feel as fleshed out in Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining. In the film, it feels as though Wendy regards her son wearily, never sure what to make of his odd mannerisms and never fully drawing the connection between them and his shining abilities. This is partly hampered by Danny Lloyd’s stilted performance as Danny, who wasn’t told he was in a horror film by Stanley Kubrick.

Meanwhile, in the books, Wendy goes to much greater lengths to foster trust between herself and her son. This could be due to the fact that in the books, Danny actually has a stronger relationship with Jack, leaving Wendy to play catch-up in the parental preference game. Literary Wendy relies quite a bit on Danny’s ability to read Jack’s actions, and makes a point to ask him his opinion on various aspects of the Overlook Hotel.

2

Wendy Has A Little Bit Of Shining Power Of Her Own

Danny isn’t the only one with some telepathic ability

In both the book and the movie, Dick Hallorann tells Danny that he and his grandmother used to have entire conversations via shining, implying that the ability may have something of a hereditary lineage. This doesn’t seem to be the case for Danny in the film, both of his parents being utterly perplexed and unaware of their son’s special gift. But in the book, it’s revealed that Wendy has some small capacity for shining of her own, something Jack is completely oblivious to.

As Jack and Wendy watch their son converse with Hallorann from a distance, Wendy can tell that there’s something special about their conversation. She even gets the impression that Dick is talking to Danny about going to Florida, completely wordlessly, something Jack is utterly unaware of. This is intercut with Dick telling Danny that there are some people who can shine a small amount without directly realizing it, all but outright confirming Wendy has some shining ability of her own.

1

Book Wendy Has Demons Of Her Own Not Represented In The Film

King’s Wendy has depth beyond just her strengths

It’s all well and good to praise the book’s Wendy for being cooler and more capable than Kubrick’s version, giving the rudderless character more depth. But the Wendy of the original book has more layers to her not present in the film, including some demons of her own nearly as dark as Jack’s. The film doesn’t give much in the way of Wendy’s backstory, making her an objectively less interesting role.

In the classic horror book, it’s stated that Wendy had an emotionally abusive mother, blaming her daughter for the death of her younger sister and her own divorce from her father. The deep-seated insecurities from this upbringing rear their head in Wendy’s relationship with Danny and Jack, competing for the affection of the former against the machinations of the latter. Both for better and for worse, Wendy is a more nuanced character in the book version of The Shining that is ultimately misrepresented in the film.