small details

Rating: 10/10 (2 August 2015)

Poor treatment of King's characters aside, Kubrick's direction was brilliant. What he lost in characterization, he made up for with some of the best camera work and set pieces in horror history. Although Jack Torrance is portrayed as insane from the first scene of the movie version, Jack Nicholson makes the unhinged Jack Torrance work as few other actors could have. Nicholson's work is unsettling and unforgettable. I will even argue that Shelley Duvall did a marvelous job portraying Kubrick's vision of Wendy, even if Kubrick's characterization of Wendy is deeply flawed. Kubrick's pacing is strong, too. Although the descent into madness is evident from the opening scene, the tortuous pace which ensues induces feelings of claustrophobia in even the most seasoned horror aficionado.