Terrifying In Places But Ultimately Confusing

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2005)

With THE SHINING Stanley Kubrick grabs the audience with the very first shot of the opening title sequence: A zoom shot over a lake as bombastic and very disconcerting music is played and as the music continues eldritch cries of children can be heard in the background
!!!!! SLIGHT SPOILERS !!!!!
This is scary and Kubrick also injects even more terrifying moments into the movie . Three people husband and wife Jack and Wendy Torrance along with their young son Danny stay at a remote hotel as caretakers during the winter , a winter that sees them snowed in so right away you know this family can't easily escape or call for help so did anyone else feel their heart jump Wendy comes screaming to Jack saying they're not alone in the hotel and that there's an old woman there ? Did anyone get a fright when Jack confronted her in the bathroom . THE SHINING is full of these very scary moments
" If it's got so many scary bits and works in terrifying you Theo why only seven out of ten ? Surely this must be something of a horror masterpiece "
It was awarded seven out of ten because that's what THE SHINING deserves over all . Despite moments of heart-attack inducing fear that's all they are - Moments , which makes THE SHINING rather patchy and we have to endure many slow moments . You want to find out how boring it is being a caretaker at a remote hotel ? Watch this movie
I could have forgiven the slow moments but my major gripe is that I found the movie confusing . I have never read King's novel but that doesn't matter because an adapted screenplay should make sense whether the audience has read the book or not and since the message board for THE SHINING is overflowing asking this and that question as to what the ending was about ? , How was Jack Possessed ? What is that photograph about ? etc this means the story has been badly adapted for the silver screen , which considering the potential can possibly be described as unforgivable since my abiding memory of this movie is how much it caused me to scratch my head , nott how much it caused me to jump out of my seat