Summary 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.
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.
7 Wendy Knows Her History Better Than Jack The movie was apt to give Wendy's lines to Jack Close 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.
6 Wendy Is Something Of A Blonde Bombshell In The Books Shelley Duvall's appearance doesn't match Wendy's book look Close 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.
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.
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.