Gradually Gripping

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2018)

"The Shining" (1980) is a mind bending horrific drama that twist your innermost demons and reimagines it on the big screen. The film is about a family that moves into an ominous hotel just before a winter storm stranding them from human contact other than themselves and a radio. Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, takes the job as caretaker of the hotel during the winter down season to enjoy some peace and quiet as he tries to write a book. His wife Wendy, played by Shelley Duvall, and son Danny, played by Danny Lloyd, join him in their new home. The isolation begins to take a grim hold on the entire family and the pacing is magically satisfying.
This film is captured from two very different perspectives. The first is from Danny and the friend that lives within as he comes to terms with his calling. While the second perspective is from Jack's dealings with his newfound maddening sense of isolation. If the point of this film is to understand the powers of seclusion, mission executed. For some viewers, this film may seem slower than most Stanley Kubrick films, but the pacing and slow comfort it affords allows the real terror to be more menacing. Overall, this film may not be a favorite of Stephen King, but it is worth a viewing, especially with the lights off.