Watch this movie late on a stormy night... but not if you've got a heart condition.

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2006)

Let's take a look at some other movies that have been based on the books of the brilliant (and, obviously, slightly insane) Stephen King. One of my firm favorites is, and always will be, Ride the Bullet (based on a short story of the same name). Whilst remaining pretty much true to the original story, it managed to turn a book that takes just under forty minutes to read into a movie masterpiece that goes for over two hours, adding some scenes, deleting none.
The Shining is an altogether different story. It uses the book sort of like an outline for the movie, not quite staying true to the story but not deviating from it in a massive way. It also manages, without even really trying, to be one of the most terrifying movies that I have watched in quite a while.
The basic plot is this: a man (Jack Tarrance by name) takes the job of winter caretaker at the isolated Overview Hotel, so as to work on writing his book. Throw into this the fact that he takes his family along with him and the fact that the place is haunted by evil spirits, and you've got a recipe for horror waiting to happen, in the form of demonic possessions and attempted murder with a fire-axe.
One of the best parts of the movie is the feeling of complete and utter isolation the viewer experiences merely from watching the movie. The snow, the mountainous setting, the vastness of the rooms of the hotel and the complete and utter lack of people all come together to paint a picture of complete and utter bleakness.
The brief glimpses of the vengeful spirits inhabiting the hotel don't really terrify; rather, they unsettle the viewer, and plant the seeds of creepy dreams once you've finished watching the film.
This is by far one of Jack Nicholson's better films. His portrayal of a man slowly sinking deeper into the depths of insanity is utterly convincing, and his alternately snarling and dementedly gleeful face serve to unnerve the viewer to the point of almost turning away from the screen.
Shelly Duval's terrified screams are high pitched and ear grating, and seem almost to verge on the point of irritating. Somehow this just lends more weight to the viewing experience. Danny Lloyd's performance as Jack Torrance's son is also brilliant, and his psychic flashes are brilliantly and creepily executed.
If you plan on watching this movie, do so in a pitch black room, late on a stormy night... but not if you've got a heart condition. Just make sure to read the book first.