The Shining
Starring:Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall
Directed by:Stanley Kubrick
Rating:R
1980
Times Seen:
Tim: 1
Summary:The offseason caretaker of the Overlook Hotel suffers from hysteria or goes mad, partially due to supernatural forces at work at the hotel. He attacks both his wife and his young son. Based on the novel by Stephen King.
Review:
Tim: This is one of the greatest horror films of all time. 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. It should be noted that a miniseries was done after this film, based more on King's novel, and it could not come close the truly frightening aspects of Kubrick's film.
Whatever you believe, the fact of the matter is Kubrick's film rests as one of the classic horror films of all times. 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, and is very believable as he descends into madness (or is mad from the beginning, depending on whether you follow Kubrick or King's storyline). His famous, "Heeeeeere's Johnny" will stay locked in the minds of troubled viewers as they struggle to sleep on the darkest of nights.
One aspect of Nicholson's genius comes from his labyrinth-layout of the hotel. The little boy in the film, riding his plastic tricycle through the hallways is creepy, even without the supernatural little girls (whom make me piss my pants every time I see them).
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.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5
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Final Rating: -
If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Stand, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest