The Shining

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
1980

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary:The offseason caretaker of the Overlook Hotel suffers from hysteria, partially due to supernatural forces at work at the hotel. He attacks both his wife and his young son.

Review:

Tim: This is one of the greatest horror films of all time. Enough cannot be said about this movie. It's one of the most stark, memorable, iconic horror movies ever made. It is interesting to note that Kubrick's film is very different from King's novel. It's hard to imagine which version strikes greater fear into the minds of viewers or readers. This version is certainly the most iconic one, and viewers will have a very hard time of shaking the imagery here.

I love so much about this film and I have no doubt that Kubrick's film will always be regarded as one of the classic horror films of all time. Kubrick is generally regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and his work with this film greatly helped his reputation. Nicholson gives an over-the-top performance, but it is fun. He is very believable as he descends into madness. His performance is captivating whenever he's on screen. What is so interesting is that for much of the film, he's not even the most fascinating character on screen. However, his presence is constantly felt. His famous, "Here's Johnny!" will stay locked in the minds of troubled viewers as they struggle to sleep on the darkest of nights. He's so much fun to watch.

I thought Shelley Duvall was decent as the wife. While she likely wasn't the absolute best actress for the part, she did a servicable job. She worked well with the rest of the cast. Duvall is decent, Nicholson is fantastic, yet we have to talk about Danny Lloyd. Lloyd is such a young actor, but Kubrick brought out the best in him. He was so frightening. I will never get the image of him speaking with Tony with his little finger. It's such a jarring, crazy image. I loved it as much as it chilled me to the bone.

Many regard this film as a master-class in filmmaking. From the expansive opening shots of the mountains, to the labyrinthian-layout of the hotel, the film is absolutely beautiful to watch. One of the most iconic images is young Danny Lloyd riding his plastic tricycle through the hallways when he comes across the supernatural little girls (the image of which I will never get out of my head). I just loved watching this movie

The Shining is one of the scariest films of all time, and any horror lover cannot feel themselves complete without seeing this film. I wholeheartedly recommend watching this, but make sure you don't do it alone, as it might be a very long night.

* Update- I first watched this movie in 2003, when I was less than two years into my movie journey. I loved this movie, but for some reason, I rated it a 7.5. In the many years since I first saw it, I was continually surprised by how much of the film had stuck with me over the years. The iconic images never left me. When I watched the movie again in 2012, I was impressed by how much I had missed my first time around. I really thought a great deal about this, and I realized that I vastly underrated this movie the first time I watched it. As I've now seen over 2,300 movies, my appreciation for this movie has only grown. I truly believe it's one of the all-time greats, so I have to adjust my rating to reflect the true greatness of this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Stand, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest