I look at this thread title and think, "Is that a serious question?" How can people who consider themselves true horror fans possibly like the TV miniseries better?

To each their own... Horror is all about what gets the pulse racing for you. To some that's a haunting whisper in an abandoned house, to some it's the shimmer of a freshly sharpened axe, but either way, it's effective. The TV version of The Shining although lacking in elements had some very eerie parts that shouldn't go unappreciated...

I do. I think Kubrick's film was sterile, tyrannical and traitorous to its source material. I'm with King on it. It goes so far as to change the protagonist. Also, Steven Weber starts off sane and goes crazy, Jack Nicholson starts off crazy and gets slightly crazier. The tv version is more of an onslaught and puts the focus on Danny, where it belongs.

I think that it works conceptually, but not actually. I also really hated what they did to Jack's character in the end, but you're right; it's more like the original story... And I thought that the Kubrik movie had a better ending than the book.

I don't think the tv version is a masterpiece or even particularly well made, but for those who cannot be bothered to read or want to see what shit in the book looks like, it's better. I can't stand Kubrick in general. He kind of barks orders at his audience. Like, take a Clockwork Orange for instance. The book is an ethical debate. The film is a sermon.