Horror can be enjoyable without being stupid

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2003)

It is almost always the case that when people cite a bad horror movie as enjoyable, they find it so because it is stupid. The Shining is highly enjoyable, and yet it has a fascinating script. Add that to Kubrick's typically well judged and lavish direction and an eerie score, and you have a masterpiece. The only downside is that the always watchable and entertaining Jack Nicholson overshadows a fine cast with his scene chewing portrayal of a decent man driven to madness. To be fair, it also lacks the ability to scare now, and perhaps this is why The Shining joins the rest of Kubrick's post 2001 work as under-rated and misunderstood. It's a shame, because it is technically brilliant. But it seems a horror movie is judged wholly on it's terror rather than anything else.