The Last of the Classic Horror Pictures

Rating: 8/10 (25 November 2005)

Kubrick's version of Stephen King's horror novel heralded the end of the classic horror run of films, such as the original "The Haunting"(63), "Rosemary's Baby"(68) and "The Omen"(76). After this, it was all slasher stuff copying "Halloween"('78,itself a classic now) and garish cheap crap, followed by the digital age of superficial horror begun in the nineties (capped by last year's "Van Helsing" - humph). Yes, this is way before digital, so the twin ghost girls, for example, are not computer FX creations; they're real. Their 'reality' results in a more chilling depiction of ghosts than would have been possible with ethereal software versions. When they show up a couple of times during the film, it's very creepy.
You may wonder at the lengthy shots of expansive wilderness that dominate the beginning of the film - they're both majestic and eerie. And they explain that this really will take place in the middle of nowhere. The haunted hotel, the Overlook, is about as far away from the rest of the population as can be. Most of the film is about just 4 characters: Jack, his wife Wendy, son Danny, and the head chef who comes back to try to help. They're isolated from the rest of the world and the film points out that, maybe, large buildings such as this are not meant to be so empty. Remove enough of the living beings meant to reside there and other forces will move in to fill in the empty gaps. Oh, of course, malevolent forces - this is horror, after all. The film builds slowly, but doesn't really speed up as it nears the finish; it's a classic mood of steadily oppressive horror and continues to take its time even as Jack finally reveals his true crazy nature. Most, if not all, of the scenes are played out as very lengthy for a typical film, with one continuous shot carrying the weight in some cases. It's a far cry from the fast cutting prevalent in today's movies.
Nicholson was accused of hamming it up back when this opened and he does, for the most part. But there was probably no better way of playing the role. He's over-the-top bonkers madman and any other method would've been boring or, at best, pretentious. Duvall was an odd choice for leading lady; in some shots she looks very haggard and unpleasant, as if Kubrick purposely chose unflattering angles and lighting. But you wonder if these shots are the way Jack sees things; his world could be all ugly from his perspective. She also reads many of her lines in a flat dull tone, a sharp contrast to Nicholson's antics; her very calm manner in the first half makes her terror in later scenes more jolting. The best scenes are actually between Crothers & Lloyd, where-in the meaning of the "Shining" term is explained. Crothers becomes Lloyd's spiritual father or grandfather, replacing the evil dark father, Jack. They also provide a great set-up for the most evil room in the hotel, #237.
This film was not very well received back in '80, mostly due to the changes Kubrick made to King's story. But now, with the passage of years, it stands on its own (and #75 in the IMDb top 250 as of this writing!). The ending especially, seemed anti-climactic and unexciting. But, it all seems appropriate now. Jack, during his whole wretched life, was running away or after something, never catching it. Consumed by his demons and those of the hotel, he ends up frozen in place, nowhere, as was always the case with him. And now he's just another ghost haunting an isolated hotel - a very unusual way to end up and, if you really think about it, the most chilling aspect to the whole story. Rumor has it that an alternate planned ending had Jack's frozen head split open and worms pouring out. Horrific in a way and, if this was made only several years later or today, I guess that's the ending we would have been stuck with.