{"id":2096340,"date":"2025-10-16T22:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2096340"},"modified":"2025-10-16T22:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:06:10","slug":"clint-eastwood-absolutely-hated-one-stephen-king-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/clint-eastwood-absolutely-hated-one-stephen-king-movie\/","title":{"rendered":"Clint Eastwood Absolutely Hated One Stephen King Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If you&#8217;ve ever wondered what the Man with No Name has to say about the King of Horror, there&#8217;s actually one movie adapted from a Stephen King book that Clint Eastwood simply cannot stand. The actor and director best known for his westerns like &#8220;The Good, The Bad and the Ugly&#8221; has very strong feelings about a certain beloved horror movie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">To be fair, it&#8217;s hardly unusual for Stephen King adaptations to disappoint viewers. Less than a quarter of the sixty-some movies adapted from his books have gotten good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.\u00a0After so many failed\u00a0adaptations,\u00a0Stephen King has earned the reputation of being an author whose books are basically unadaptable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But surprisngly, it&#8217;s not the 2022 remake of &#8220;Firestarter&#8221;\u00a0or any of the universally-hated King adaptations that Clint Eastwood loathes. Rather, it&#8217;s none other than 1980&#8217;s &#8220;The Shining,&#8221;\u00a0a film widely considered one of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/1866114\/best-stephen-king-movies-ranked\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:the best Stephen King movies;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">the best Stephen King movies<\/a>, and an overall classic of the genre. Here&#8217;s what Clint Eastwood has to say about the iconic horror movie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read more: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/55041\/controversial-movie-costumes-explained\/?zsource=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Most Controversial Movie Costumes Explained;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">The Most Controversial Movie Costumes Explained<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Clint Eastwood thought The Shining simply wasn&#8217;t scary<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Wendy Torrence screaming as an axe breaks through bathroom door in &#8220;The Shining&#8221; &#8211; Warner Bros.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As far as Clint Eastwood is concerned, &#8220;The Shining&#8221; is a terrible movie. The filmmaker did not mince words about this in a reprinted discussion featured in the book &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/_\/kbq2J20fxuoC?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;bsq=unfortunately%20the%20scary%20parts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson&#8217;s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983<\/a>.&#8221; In the sit-down, Eastwood recalled attending a screening of the movie and not being impressed. &#8220;Unfortunately, the scary parts were not very scary,&#8221; said Eastwood.\u00a0&#8220;That ax scene, coming in with the ax to hit Scat [Crothers], it&#8217;s dead as a d***.&#8221;\u00a0While many would argue that\u00a0&#8220;The Shining&#8221; is one of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/209405\/greatest-horror-movies-of-all-time\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:the greatest horror movies of all time;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">the greatest horror movies of all time<\/a>, it&#8217;s certainly not a universal consensus,\u00a0with even\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/447316\/how-stephen-king-really-felt-about-the-shining\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Stephen King having negative feelings about the movie;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Stephen King having negative feelings about the movie<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What Eastwood found especially galling\u00a0was director Stanley Kubrick&#8217;s own boastfulness. It was reportedly Kubrick&#8217;s idea to promote his film with the tagline, &#8220;A masterpiece of modern horror.&#8221; Mind you, this was not quoted from a movie critic -\u2013 these were Kubrick&#8217;s own words. According to Eastwood,\u00a0some studio executives told the filmmaker, &#8220;&#8216;Stanley, maybe you better wait and let some reviewer stick the byline on the film because it might be considered a little forward of you to do it.'&#8221; Instead, claims Eastwood, the &#8220;2001: A Space Odyssey&#8221; director decided his movie was a masterpiece and marketed it as such.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Clint Eastwood believed Stanley Kubrick had lost his touch<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Jack Torrence sitting at bar counter in &quot;The Shining&quot;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/bFNpAYh6pnMVebZeiRDNYg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzOTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/looper_828\/b582b1fc7bab79cbb73a3f1363951c34\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Jack Torrence sitting at bar counter in &#8220;The Shining&#8221; &#8211; Warner Bros.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Although Clint Eastwood hated &#8220;The Shining,&#8221; the\u00a0majority of movie critics felt differently.\u00a0Eastwood was convinced that Kubrick only got a free pass\u00a0because of his reputation among the industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the same interview with Paul Nelson, Eastwood suggested that the director&#8217;s perfectionism was to blame for the film&#8217;s quality, with\u00a0Kubrick famously calling for dozens of\u00a0takes\u00a0on any particular scene. The exact number of takes\u00a0the cast endured is still\u00a0debated,\u00a0with actor Scatman Crothers recalling\u00a0doing between 40 to nearly 90 attempts on a single shot.\u00a0This <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/394739\/bizarre-things-that-happened-on-the-set-of-the-shining\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:bizarre occurrence on &quot;The Shining&quot; set;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">bizarre occurrence on &#8220;The Shining&#8221; set<\/a> naturally left\u00a0the players exhausted.\u00a0Eastwood speculated that this led to the stilted performances, stating,\u00a0&#8220;I have to assume that they were just beaten down by the whole overall thing.&#8221; By extension, Eastwood wondered\u00a0if the film would have been better had Kubrick adopted his own preferred method of going with the first or second take, rather than spending too much time and money perfecting all the wrong things.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">With that said, Eastwood still praised\u00a0Kubrick&#8217;s earlier works, such as 1956&#8217;s &#8220;The Killing.&#8221;\u00a0But as the director shifted from groundbreaking independent films to big-budget productions, Eastwood believed that Kubrick&#8217;s films had grown increasingly indulgent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If you enjoyed this article, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.looper.com\/newsletter-syndicated\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:sign up to our free newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">sign up to our free newsletter<\/a> for the biggest movie and TV news delivered straight to your inbox. And <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=looper.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:add us as a preferred search source;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">add us as a preferred search source<\/a> on Google.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/1994977\/clint-eastwood-hated-stephen-king-movie-the-shining\/?zsource=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:original article on Looper;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">original article on Looper<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;ve ever wondered what the Man with No Name has to say about the King of Horror, there&#8217;s actually one movie adapted from a Stephen King book that Clint Eastwood simply cannot stand. The actor and director best known for his westerns like &#8220;The Good, The Bad and the Ugly&#8221; has very strong feelings [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2096341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[318260,321792,395964,346103,359244,52282],"class_list":["post-2096340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-clint-eastwood","tag-horror-movie","tag-king-of-horror","tag-movie-critic","tag-stanley-kubrick","tag-stephen-king"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Clint-Eastwood-Absolutely-Hated-One-Stephen-King-Movie.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2096340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2096340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2096340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2096342,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2096340\/revisions\/2096342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2096341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2096340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2096340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2096340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}