An excellent psychological horror drama. And one of Jack's most memorable and iconic roles("Heeeere's Johnny!")

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2008)

If you've read the novel from Stephen King then you know it is quite different from Stanley Kubrick's adaptation. King who's novel is long and drawn out and it goes into more detail as is the case with most books. Kubrick on the other hand made the film long also yet his focus was more of an enchanting and psychological chilling visual masterpiece. Stanley was always so good for the fact that when shooting his films the scenes shot were always done in a manner of detail with a great camera touch. You add this with the performance of Jack Nichoslon(my favorite actor)who's over the top and out right crazy here with his role as was so common in his acting roles(example: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and as the "Joker" in "Batman") "The Shining" turns out to be a horror masterpiece as most agree it was one of Warner Brothers most acclaimed and successful films of all time.
Nicholson is Jack Torrance an ex school teacher and now writer who moves his wife Wendy(Shelley Duvall) and young son Danny(Danny Lloyd) a clairvoyant to the Overlook hotel in Colorado, where he has just been hired as winter caretaker. This is an old and elegant style hotel of many alleys and room floors, yet soon behind it all this place reveals a haunted past of ghostly secrets it's a past time of ghostly madness. Scatman Crothers and Barry Nelson give good supporting performances as hotel employees.
And the creme of the crop my man Nicholson gives a stirring and most memorable iconic performance as a man who's guilt ridden the film is a good character study of a man coming to terms with his guilt and family problems only sadly he gets wrapped up in the ghostly and sinister past of the overlook. Nicholson was at his angered and shocking best even during the dreamlike track shots and remember the famous line that still sticks in pop culture "Heeeere's Johnny!". The film is moved just fine by Stanley's direction it blends well with his musical score which is so pulsating and creepy. In the end it proves the past can suck you in and haunt you, and also that each and every place has hidden secrets as in this case it was a ghostly past a time warp. Overall a great horror classic.