We always knew It: Welcome to Derry would connect directly to series co-creator Andy Muschietti’s It movies, but as the HBO show plays out, it’s revealing even more shared DNA across the Stephen King universe. Most notably, the well-meaning chef Dick Hallorann from The Shining appears here as a much younger man (a link King wrote into his books as well), and while this seems like a harmless Easter egg at first, it may have some surprising timeline ramifications for that beloved scary story.
Allow me to explain. Muschietti’s movies move It forward 31 years compared to King’s novel, pushing the kids’ story from 1958 to 1989, and the adults’ story from 1985 to 2016. That means The Shining novel, which depicts events set sometime between 1975 and 1977, would also have to shift forward, putting the events of that harrowing winter sometime between 2006 and 2008. This results in quite a few changes and, arguably, a much less interesting story.
Photo: Brooke Palmer/HBO
The most obvious problem with placing The Shining in the 21st century is that high-speed internet was abundantly available. It seems extremely unlikely a hotel like the Overlook wouldn’t have Wi-Fi. What’s more, MySpace was massively popular in 2006, a year that also saw Facebook open for public registration and Google’s purchase of YouTube. A year later, Twitter began to take off, and Netflix launched its streaming video component.
You might think Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) isn’t someone that would be dying to share his thoughts online, remember he is both a writer and a bit of a narcissist. He would be all over social media. (King himself has been actively tweeting for over a decade, since joining the site in Dec. 2013.)
Image: Warner Bros.
The shift in time would also lead to generational changes. In the novel, Jack and his wife, Wendy, were born in 1945 and 1946, respectively. That puts Jack at the tail end of the Silent Generation, with Wendy being a first-year Baby Boomer. In this new timeline, both would now be Gen X, raised in the era of the Cold War and early MTV. Their son Danny, meanwhile, would be a bonafide member of Gen Z.
Though his birth in the novel is noted as 1972, the timeline shift now puts his arrival in 2003. In this timeline, Danny was born and is being raised in the digital age, likely never having known life without a computer at home and a secure internet connection to the outside world. For many of the era, that constant connectivity meant less of a creative drive. While his “imaginary friend” Tony was far more than that, there’s no telling how it would’ve manifested if not for Danny’s pre-internet sense of imagination.
Image: Warner Bros./Max
Then again, according to The Economist, Gen Z are better educated and well-behaved, but also likely to experience stress and depression. Clearly, Danny is a troubled young man in the ’70s, but it’s possible he could be found in an even worse state in 2006. But replacing Tony’s ominous warnings with Ice Age quotes doesn’t exactly make for a good spooky story.
Our issues with the Gen Z version of Danny Torrance aside, this change in era takes all of the air out of that story. The primary element that causes The Shining to be so terrifying is the isolation the Torrance family experiences during their time at the Overlook and the tension that creates. It nudges Jack down his descent into madness, while being cut off from the world as these events unfold — with a smashed amateur radio as their only connection to the outside — keeps his family from being able to reach out for help.
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures via movie-screencaps.com
In 2006, the Torrance family likely wouldn’t be disconnected from the rest of the world like they are in King’s story, or at least not for the entirety of the winter. As Jack’s mind begins to crumble, Wendy could start attempting to reach the outside world in earnest, even if it means contacting local law enforcement when she realizes how far he’s gone or keeping her parents informed of his changing state. Moving the story three decades forward means there are other ways to call for help besides little Danny using The Shining.
While this version of The Shining could still be full of supernatural elements, plenty of blood, and a good dose of a rageful Jack, the moment Wendy can just pick up her cell to text someone about what’s going on, the tension begins dissolving. All we’re left with is the story of an unhappy man lashing out at his family in an empty hotel while they watch whatever was streaming on Netflix in 2007.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
