"I'm not going to hurt ya...I'm just going to bash your brains in!"

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2013)

Among some of cinema's most frightening and creepy moments, The Shining includes some of the best and most effective experiences. It is perhaps eternally iconic for watching Jack Nicholson breaking down a door with an axe, shouting maniacally "Here's Johnny!!!" at his family. Everything leading up to that climax, however, is a freaky experience, littered with all kinds of unnatural phenomenon, wicked imagery, and always laden with an unsettling atmosphere. The film becomes a mesmerizing nightmare, which dives into the depths of the human psyche to expose pure madness.
This adaptation of Stephen King's novel downplays the supernatural a lot, thus deviating from the source material a lot and just sticking to the basics. There are ghosts haunting the Overlook Hotel, but at times, it's hard to tell if they're really "real" in the movie, or just reflections of Jack's mind.
And that ambiguity is part of what makes this movie so great and intriguing; it remains very mysterious and open-ended, offering just enough exposition to build a basic plot, but leaving enough up in the air for all manner of interpretations. You could watch the film and accept it as just another ghost story. You could see it as a psychological thriller. Some people have even read into it and somehow dug up hidden messages of the director's involvement in faking the Apollo moon landings. No matter what you read into it, the experience lends itself to wide interpretation, universally covering terror and fear on all levels.
On a micro-level, the story is generally sound, with or without the involvement of the supernatural. The film features a decent cast of characters, and a lot of their issues from the novel (primarily, alcoholism and domestic violence) carry over into the movie. Even though it's not a totally faithful adaptation, the plot is well-constructed. It explores some deep and interesting scenes concerning the horror of violence (whether domestic or in the overall human spirit), madness, and overcoming the ghosts of the past.
This film is presented with very strong photography; it makes very liberal use of the Steadycam to beautifully compose the film and conjure very unique imagery. The editing is very good too. Acting in this film can be very extreme and over-the-top; Jack Nicholson's expressions and lines are often so wild that they become laughable, but the menace is still very palpable, and I think it's an awesome performance overall. Shelly Duvall tends to be very weepy, but is still decent. Everybody else does the best they can. Writing is finely-balanced and nuanced. This production uses very interesting and decent sets, props, costumes, and locales. Music is very ominous, adding to the film's atmosphere.
The Shining may not be the perfect Stephen King adaptation, but as an exploration of humanity's dark side, it is very effective and extremely creepy. It remains one of my top-favorite horror movies of all time, and as a classic in the genre, everybody should endeavor to see it at least once in a lifetime.
5/5 (Experience: Perfect | Content: Perfect | Film: Perfect)