A REAL HORROR FILM, better than all I have seen...

Rating: 9/10 (26 May 2012)

OK, what will I start with? Maybe the beautiful steadi-cam shots? Or the psychologically stirring pursuit scenes? Or maybe the chilling music?
With 'The Shining' it is hard to put a finger on what makes the film so utterly disturbing and brilliant. I'm a teenage and I have never seen a scary horror film until this. Unlike modern horror films which use 'shock and gore' to promote fear this film uses and underlying sense of dread. Every shot tells you something is wrong and yet you never know what that 'wrong' is. The scenes where Wendy screams really get to you. They just make you feel afraid with her, not like "I will never sleep again" afraid but more of a trembly or shivery kind of afraid. The music adds to this. despite being like a 70's ELO track gone wry it really puts you on edge without ever telling you something is about to happen, a trait which all other horror films seem to have. Then there are the stunning camera shots. Steadi-cam was a brilliant invention and adds a kind of flow to the sense of fear. It lulls you into a sense of false security and then carefully delivers you into the hands of horror. Overall each shot builds the suspense.
That is why I love this film. It SCARED me and didn't make me jump. I felt like I was amid the characters and yet I didn't leave the film fearing for my own life at night. It just made me realise how tangled and fragile the human psyche is. A superb film, 9/10!