The Only Movie That Genuinely Scares Me

Rating: Null/10 (13 July 1999)

What can I add to the many other comments on this film? Just that there are many horror films that utilize all the standard tricks and cinematic cliches to make you jump or build up suspense, but this is the only movie (The Exorcist included) that genuinely scares me and causes pause when I turn off the lights. I had not read Stephen King's book before I saw this in the theater during it's original 1980 release-- I have since and now view them as two totally different works that stand apart and individually. Kubrick understands how to penetrate the psyche to create a forboding, almost unbearable sense of something horrible lying in wait for you just around the next corner that you (almost) never quite see. The twin girls at the end of the hallway scare the bejesus out of me in a way that Freddy Kruger never could. Not even close. The Overlook's immensity and isolation leave the viewer feeling as trapped and vulnerable as the characters.
The DVD version of this film includes Vivian Kubrick's (Stanley's daughter) documentary on the making of the film. It's fascinating to watch Jack Nicholson clowning and joking around and greeting people as he walks from his dressing room to the bedroom set. While others go about their business he suddenly changes, clothes himself in his character, and gives the prop axe a furious and enthusiastic swing, shouting "Axe murderer, kill!" You also get to see Stanley Kubrick berating Shelley Duvall on set, "We're f*****g killing ourselves out here and you've gotta be ready! ...Should we play mood music?" Great stuff for any fan of movie making.