While I appreciate Kubrick's "Someone needs to die because this is a horror film" mindset, Halloran has always been one of my favorite SK characters and I hated that he got axed so shortly after making such a harrowing journey. Personally, if he had to get killed I would have loved to have seen his journey to CO not be ended so abruptly and for nothing; had he been able to help Wendy and/or Danny first, I think it would have added something perhaps.
Good call on not killing Danny, IMO.
As far as the actual ending goes, I kind of like both endings in their own way and the photograph in the movie was one of those "ermahgerd" moments. Then again, Dr. Sleep shows us that just because the hotel itself is gone doesn't mean everything that goes with it is gone, too, which was a really, really good move on SK's part when it came to the sequel!
While most people don't care for movie-Wendy's character vs. book-Wendy's character, growing up in an alcoholic home I can attest to the fact that the spouse of an alcoholic can (and often does) go from book-Wendy (self reliant while constantly plotting what to do if and when he/she leaves the alcoholic spouse...always have a plan, etc.) to movie-Wendy (hopeless and accepting their almost ruined marriage with a mixture of worry and compliance.) Not everyone does, but many spouses go from strong in their own "selves" to just pretty much giving up. The same can be said of a child who is literally afraid of their alcoholic parent. They're kind of quiet and reserved and secretive. Being secretive and quiet can, in some cases, piss the alcoholic parent off even more which adds fuel to the fire. It's a dangerous and extremely stressful situation, especially to a young child who can't possibly know how to articulate what's really going on.
I enjoy the movie because it IS open to so much interpretation, and I'll be the first to admit some have taken it a wee bit too far. But there's always the possibility in the back of your mind that something could have been missed. Then again, there are so many parts in the book that never made it into the film that would have been really excellent to include. I enjoy the movie as an artistic interpretation of one of my favorite SK novels, but nothing will ever beat the novel itself and all the creepy moments that make you stop reading because you're pretty sure you just heard a noise that now has you spooked. First time I read it, I was at the part towards the end where Danny was watching the clock and two of our cats got into a loud, quick spat and the sudden screech dang near made me pee my pants, LOL!