Chilling horror display

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2007)

The Shining is Stanley Kubrick's famous horror film, starring Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a former teacher who stumbles upon a winter maintenance job in the Overlook Hotel. He brings his wife and child, and then is isolated for the winter. The isolation and creepy hotel history ends up effecting each character differently, slowly bringing psychological chaos.
Kubrick uses several disturbing images to build up the suspense, such as an elevator spilling out blood and two twin ghosts meeting the boy, Danny. There is also some unconventional, even alien, music. The acting is realistic. At first I did not like Shelley Duvall's portrayal as the wife, but the desperation and anguish is so convincing that it won me over. Jack Nicholson, as expected, is perfect for his role. The boy, played by Danny Lloyd, is suitable (the Tony sequences were more than a little weird).
The atmosphere is probably the key factor in making The Shining such an effective horror film. The set design is great; the hotel rooms are decorated with tapestries and ornaments. A real sense of isolation is created, although it is clear that another entity is involved.
Although not Kubrick's best film, the Shining is among the best horror films around. How scary it really is depends on how you watch it. It is not the fright or sudden surprise, but the suspense and atmosphere that makes it chilling.