POP! Movies - The Shining: Jack Torrance

As a general rule, I’m a staunch believer that the book is better than the movie. But every rule has exceptions, and The Shining is one of them. 

I read the novel when I was probably 19 or 20, and reading a huge amount of Stephen King’s stuff in general. I don’t recall it doing a lot for me; it was entertaining, but didn’t leave nearly the same impression that say, IT did. I think that part of that is because I’ve never really believed in ghosts, and so they don’t hold a great deal of terror for me*.

The Stanley Kubrick adaptation, though…that was something else. I don’t remember whether I saw the film or read the book first, but the film has stuck with me for years. So many bizarre images, and so little explanation for them. A lack of exposition can be incredibly infuriating, but it works impressively well in The Shining. 

Much of what I said about the Mystery Mini version of Jack Torrance last year also applies here. The POP does a reasonable job of replicating Jack Nicholson’s “Here's Johnny” look in the film -- the red jacket, jeans and of course the axe. It looks a little more like Jack Nicholson, but it’s not exactly a dead ringer.

I have two main criticisms. The first is that the paint on the shirt is almost completely absent. The check pattern is present on the control art, but on the final POP it’s just plain blue. The other is with the hair. Jack Nicholson has never gone totally bald, but even by the time of The Shining it was looking pretty thin – though this is probably just a side-effect of the aesthetic.

The line also includes Wendy Torrance, Danny Torrance and the Grady Twins**. Funko are to be commended for doing more than one character – but Wendy et al are kind of boring. I feel that they could have gone in some more creative directions, considering the good work they’ve done with horror licenses in the past. The woman from the bath, the butler, the animal suit couple...they all would have been a lot better, though admittedly they’re not as retailer/family-friendly.

There’s also a 1:6 Chase version of Jack available. It’s the same sculpt, but has been given a “frozen” paintjob to depict him as he appears in his final moments alive in the movie. I like it okay, but it’s not essential.

Jack Torrance is ultimately an adequate but imperfect figure. This is one to keep in the box; the details like the carpet patterns, blood spatter and of course REDRUM all help elevate it above its shortcomings.

*Of course, I don’t believe in Jason, Pinhead, Pennywise or the Creature from the Black Lagoon either. But here we are.

**The Grady Twins are a Popcultcha exclusive in Australia. They’ve got a 1:6 bloodied Chase variant.