Psychological Terror At Its Finest.

Rating: 10/10 (1 June 2006)

"The Shining" is based on Stephen King's equally-terrifying book, and is about a family - Jack (Jack Nicholson), Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd), who go to be temporary caretakers at the Overlook Hotel during the winter season while it's closed. Everything begins to change soon when they arrive at the hotel, and Jack finds out that one of the previous caretakers took an axe, slaughtered his wife, and his two twin girls, slicing them into tiny pieces. Wendy begins to notice strange behavior in Jack, and meanwhile Danny realizes he has the ability the "shine", or to read minds without speaking, and experiencing visions of past events.
I saw "The Shining" at a very young age (I was about nine or ten years old), and afterwards I couldn't sleep for days. Truly a marvel of psychological horror, this is likely one of the scariest horror movies of all time. Stephen King's novel was excellent as well, and this film adaptation is probably the best of all of them (I'd say "'Salem's Lot" comes in second place). The plot is thick and complex, and the crafting of it is truly masterful. And this film brings all of King's visions to life in a horrifying manner. Director Kubrick uses some excellent camera-work that should be noted for - lots of long pans, zooms, and lengthy shots that add a certain style to the film (his style, perhaps). The film's bizarre ending may be a little hard to understand, but as a note, it is much different from the novel, as is a lot of the film.
But there is a handful of truly bizarre (but truly petrifying) scenes in this movie that are guaranteed to stick with you for years, I know they did me. Everything from the blood-filled elevator, the woman in room 237, and the iconic murdered twin girls who roam the halls of the Overlook, make for some extremely terrifying scenes. Great acting from Jack Nicholson as well as the paranoid, crazed Jack, probably one of his best performances ever (besides "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"). Shelley Duvall is also wonderful as Jack's hysterical and terrified wife, and Danny Lloyd plays their son well too.
Although some don't agree, this is one scary movie. The intense, claustrophobic atmosphere and the overall scary plot are what make it such a terrifying film. Another neat piece of info is that I live about a half an hour away from Mt. Hood in Oregon, and they shot the exteriors at the Timberline Lodge, which makes the lodge an interesting attraction to visit. Anyways, this is a truly terrifying movie, probably one of the creepiest I think I've seen. Definitely a must-see for horror fans. 10/10.