The Basics:
Who made it? Stanley
Kubrick (director and co-writer), Diane Johnson (co-writer), Stephen King
(novel)
Who’s in it? Jack
Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers,
Synopsis:
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual
presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees
horrific forebodings from the past and of the future. Trailer.
The Shining is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen. Granted, I’m not a huge
horror fan, and I’ve definitely seen more gruesome or disturbing films, but
nothing comes close to the overwhelming sense of unease and creepiness Kubrick
creates. There are no jump scares or other cheap tricks to frighten the
audience. In the first scene, the audience is basically told what’s going to
happen, as the hotel manager warns Jack of a previous caretaker that went
crazy. So what’s going to happen isn’t scaring the viewer, it’s the why and
how.
Nicholson’s
performance is the best known aspect of The
Shining (and with due reason), but Kubrick is the true star. His direction,
particularly his tracking shots, keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. But
most of all, the film is just creepy. Of course, there are the surreal visions
that the family experiences, but it’s also the knowledge that the audience
knows that there is evil lurking, but not really knowing what exactly that evil
is. If you haven’t already seen The
Shining, I highly recommend that you do.
Scene of the film: All of Danny’s visions are just incredibly creepy, but this
one may take the cake.
My Rating: 9/10
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