One of the Horror Genre's Crowning Achievements

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2018)

Out of all the film adaptations of Stephen King novels out there, this one might be the most beloved. Although not a critical hit on its original release, it did gain more positive attention in the following years, and now it is hailed as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. As for me personally, I very much agree with the cultural impact this film has left on society, yet I think it holds up even more now as a young adult. As someone who tends to work mostly within the indoors, the paranoia created in the film really hits home to me.
The film centers around Jack Torrance, who becomes the caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado during the winter in hopes to continue his writing. Upon settling in with his wife Wendy and psychic son Danny, they gain visions of the hotel's dark pasts. As Jack discovers the hotel's spooky secrets, he grows into a homicidal maniac intent on murdering his family. With that said, the shear horror in the film comes from the isolation of Jack living in this hotel whilst coping with his inner sanity. Unlike the book where Jack started off as well intentioned before slowly turning insane on account of his former alcoholism, this version of the character is implied to be insane from the start, and Jack Nicholson brilliantly showcases the pure turmoils caused by cabin fever.
Some particular scenes that convey Jack's sanity breaking are his bonds with Danny, as it's speculated that they both have the so called "shining" yet in different viewpoints. Where Danny sees them as omens, Jack cannot help but to be lured in by their strange appearances. Even if many of these oddities are more ambiguous, the execution of them is handled in a way that lets the audience figure them out themselves, which has led to wonderful theories that make the viewing experience all the more interesting. The only weak link in the film for me is actually Wendy herself, as she comes off as so timid that she becomes shrill and whiney. She does surprisingly look after the hotel more than Jack, but Shelley Duvall ends up giving Nicholson a run for his money in hamminess, and she's not really written as a very bright character either.
As for the technical aspects, director Stanley Kubrick always knew how to say so much by showing rather than telling. Every psychedelic illusion comes off as intimidating albeit distinct given their unique designs, and they're on screen long enough to sink in within the subconscious of the audience. In addition, this was one of the first films to utilize Steadicam cinematography, and it helps add in to the extravagant scale and scope of the Overlook Hotel. One of my favorite scenes is where Danny is riding on his big wheel through the halls whilst the camera follows him, as it recreates the point of view of a child in a brand new environment. No matter what scene you watch in this film, including that WTF moment of the bear, they all serve their purpose in either showcasing the hotel's many haunting illusions or just serving as gothic art.
Sure, King himself may not have liked it, but that didn't stop this film from aging like fine wine. Overall, while a loose adaptation of its source material, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining works as a great horror movie on its own for its commentary on isolation and insanity, psychedelic nature, haunting cinematography, and storytelling ideologies left to be talked about. Whether you're a fan of King, Kubrick or horror movies in general, this is a definite watch for how much it displays paranoia in a slow albeit mesmerizing way. I'm sure you'll relate to the claustrophobic aesthetic of being stuck inside for so long, especially during this time of year where staying inside is wiser than going out.