Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is considered a film masterpiece. But how closely do the characters resemble those described in Stephen King's book?

Not only is it arguably the most popular film adaptation of a Stephen King novel ever made, but The Shining has also been touted as a cinematic masterpiece in its own right. Directed by master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, and anchored by a powerful performance by Jack Nicholson, it is a hauntingly psychological film that will affect viewers long after it ends, which is exactly the sort of impact a King novel has.

That The Shining succeeded despite straying quite far from King's written work is a testament to how important it is for a film to capture a novel's essence without dilution. Kubrick didn't retain everything from King's story, but he kept the core concepts that encouraged the most fear, paranoia, and discomfort. Many of the main characters differed quite a lot from their on-screen counterparts, contained below in their descriptions.

11 THE OVERLOOK HOTEL

In King's novel, the Overlook Hotel is much more of a presence than in the film. Though it doesn't have an elaborate hedge maze (just topiary hedges out in front), it has other unique aspects that come alive when it senses Danny. King fills his novel with all sorts of sounds to the structure, but Kubrick thought silence was more unnerving.

In the novel, various edges, a hosepipe, and of course the elevator come alive and threaten Danny, but in the film, the biggest testament to the hotel being sentient is the elevator that floods the corridor with an ocean of blood. It wants Danny's powers and it will do anything to get them. It eventually explodes from an overactive boiler in the book, but not in the film.

10 JACK TORRANCE

In the novel, John Daniel Torrance is a teacher who lost his job by severely beating a student in a drunken rage. He's suggested for the position of caretaker of the Overlook Hotel by a friend who hopes that by proving he can look after it in the offseason, he can get his old job back at a prestigious New England prep school. He loves Wendy and Danny dearly.

Jack Torrance in the film is a novelist, who seems irate with his family much of the time, and grows even more irascible as the weeks of isolation continue and he makes little progress on his book. He's only been sober for 5 months, as opposed to the 14 in the novel, and when he finally has a mental breakdown, he wields an axe and not the croquet mallet from the book.

9 WENDY TORRANCE

In the novel, Stephen King is very specific in describing Wendy Torrance as a striking blonde with a "cheerleader" personality. Bright charismatic, and practical, she's loved by her husband and never verbally abused for her lack of intelligence.

By contrast, Wendy Torrance in Kubrick's film is meek, waifish, and dark-haired. She has an unusual look that resembles varying degrees of unkempt, and her husband Jack regularly puts her down, even in front of their son and others.

8 DANNY TORRANCE

Danny is a bright boy of five in King's book, who is able to read at an advanced rate for his years, and loves to watch Sesame Street. He knows several large words and communicates surprisingly well with his parents. He possesses curious powers called "the shining", which the Overlook Hotel wants.

In the film, Danny isn't uniquely intelligent despite being 7 years old and loves Road Runner cartoons. He doesn't speak all that much, though he does talk to the man who lives in his finger named Tony. He doesn't have any special telepathic gifts, though Dick Hallorann does mention that he "shines".

7 DICK HALLORANN

In both the novel and the film, Dick Hallorann is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He has a unique telepathic ability called "the shining", which he discusses with Danny Torrance at length. In the novel, its Danny's psychic connection with Hallorann that inspires him to return to the Overlook Hotel and save him right when he's in the most danger.

In the film, Hallorann dies by taking an axe to the chest when Jack Torrance suffers a mental breakdown and begins running wildly through the hotel. This creates a large plothole because, in the novel, Hallorann's telepathic ability allows him to foresee his own death, and thus avoid it. Despite the fact that he gets injured, he's able to help both Wendy and Danny get to safety.

6 TONY

In the novel, Danny has an imaginary friend named Tony who only he can see, and though they become inseparable, Tony is an autonomous being. In Kubrick's film, Tony is never seen at all but instead lives in Danny's finger.

The description of Tony in the novel is quite extensive when Danny finally sees him, "Tony was like looking into a magic mirror and seeing himself in ten years, the eyes widely spaced and very dark, the chin firm, the mouth handsomely molded. The hair was light blond like his mother's, and yet the stamp on his features was that of his father as if Tony — as if the Daniel Anthony Torrance that would someday be — was a halfling caught between father and son, a ghost of both, a fusion.”

5 STUART ULLMAN

In the novel, Stuart Ullman isn't a particularly nice man. Short and plump and constantly angry about something, he's hated by the staff of the Overlook Hotel and tells John when he first arrives that if it weren't for his superiors, he wouldn't have given him the caretaker position.

By contrast in the film, he's nice and polite with his staff, and warm and welcoming to the Torrances when they arrive. He explains what happened to the former caretaker, and warns Jack about the effects of isolation when the snow begins to fall.

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3 ROGER THE DOGMAN

Roger is mentioned as the lover of Horace M. Derwent, owner of the Overlook Hotel. Infatuated with Derwent, Roger pines for him relentlessly though Derwent humiliates him verbally any chance he gets. John learns that the only way Derwent would consider taking Roger on as a lover would be if he attended a ball dressed as a "cute little doggy".

In the film, Roger is never mentioned by name but is seen by Danny as a man in a bear costume giving a man who is thought to be Horace M. Derwent fellatio on a hotel bed.

2 DELBERT GRADY

Delbert Grady is the previous caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in both the novel and the film (first name "Charles" in the film). In both instances, he's first discussed between Jack Torrance/John Daniel Torrance and Stuart Ullman as he's being given the rundown of his duties at the hotel and some of its history.

In the novel, the bodies of Grady's family are found in the forest. In the film, their bodies are found stacked inside the hotel. In the novel, Grady appears to John and frees him from the pantry (if he promises to kill Wendy and Danny), but in the film, he appears to Jack in the men's washroom. His twins are never seen in the novel, whereas they have a prominent scene in the film with Danny.

1 HORACE M. DERWENT

The owner of the Overlook Hotel, Horace M. Derwent was a successful entrepreneur and playboy who owned the hotel from 1946 until 1952 when he sold it to investors. He later achieved controlling interest in the hotel and used it for all sorts of salacious activities like gambling and prostitution well into the '60s. His ghost appeared to both John and Danny Torrance several times.

In the film, Derwent isn't mentioned but appears to be seen by Wendy during the climactic chase through the Overlook by an axe wielding Jack Torrance. He holds a martini and asks her, "Great party, isn't it?".

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