The Shining

Rating: Null/10 (24 January 2008)

"The Shining" is one of the most chilling and memorable horror movies I've seen, and I have seen a lot of horror flicks. It may not be follow the Stephen King version, but it still manages to have an intensely eerie tone to it, even though it is quite slow and traces of a plot are left absent. Jack Nicholson gives a great performance, and his transformation from sane to insane is very entertaining but at the same time maintains the codes and conventions of horror. Stanley Krubick has been called mysterious, and there is no doubt about it in this movie, almost every scene has some sort of obscurity to it, some mystery, and it forces to the viewer to feel at least a little bit frightened. Krubick is actually quite brilliant in the way he transforms almost every seemingly normal thing into something menacing, such as the snow-bound atmosphere, a set of twin girls, and even some shots of hallways and rooms generates uneasiness into the viewers. "The Shining" may be criticised for its lack of substance, clarity or depth, but you can't help but be impressed by it's strikingly different style and effect. It is certainly one of the most exceptional horror movies ever made.