Again, while the character is quite different from that in King’s novel, one must not look at that when judging Duvall in the movie version. She did what she was instructed to do and did it well! I personally cannot take my eyes away whenever i watch, and in fact Duvall’s performance was overshadowed only by that of Scatman Crothers.

Totally agree that a big reason why people laugh at and mock her performance is simply because she’s not conventionally ‘pretty,’ which is unfortunate. Personally, I’ve always liked Duvall because of how unique she is, both in the looks and acting department. That’s what sets her apart from other actresses. Wish people could see that, rather than simply judge her for being a bit odd looking.

I’ll grant Stephen King a bit of slack in his criticism, as in the book Wendy is written with a bit more resolve and strength. Stephen King has had a rightful beef with The Shining movie forever though, because it just isn’t his book, haha.

To be honest, I think a big part of why some (not all) people dislike Shelley Duvall’s performance is because they don’t like her, specifically her appearance. Maybe not even consciously, but I think audiences aren’t used to seeing women who look like that do anything in movies, let alone cry & scream, two things that will really distort your face in real life. People get used to seeing pretty women just open their mouth wide and yell, or put their head down and shudder. Fear should be ugly, and she didn’t mind letting that come through. Cheers to that.

All too often people criticize female characters for not being ’empowering,’ but like you said, it’s all about the performance feeling real – not every female victim in a horror movie has to be strong and powerful. They can’t all be Ripley and Laurie Strode!