"They'll Love It!"... "Hello, Danny!"...

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2019)

From the breathtaking opening sequence, which manages to make a VW Beetle ride seem ominous and adventurous, it's obvious that Director, Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING is something special. As w/ other Kubrick films, the camera sweeps and hovers, or presents static scenes in a way that is somehow dynamic. It is this that makes the Overlook hotel haunted, feeling as though spirits must certainly be soaked into every bit of this imposing structure. Kubrick fills the Overlook w/ dread, and Jack and Wendy Torrance (Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall) are the perfectly unsuspecting caretakers. Along w/ their son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), they settle in to what should be a long, relaxing winter w/ very little work to do. Of course, this is based on the classic Stephen King novel, so we know that a comfortable stay is out of the question! The merging of Jack's dark history, Wendy's nervous, willful ignorance of it, and Danny's "gift", combine, set in the isolation and vastness of the Overlook. Everyone remembers the hedge maze, the twins, the "blood lobby", Room 237, and Jack's final unraveling. After multiple viewings, it's the quieter, sometimes silent moments that jump out. Kubrick's ability to make these moments so captivating is part of what separates him from other directors. Nicholson is his usual, force-of-nature self, gobbling up the Overlook's furniture in gloriously, seething-ly manic fashion. Ms. Duvall is a great Wendy, going from shell-shocked wife and mother, to desperate survivor. Young Mr. Lloyd is quite believable in his role, as is Scatman Crothers as the like-minded Mr. Halloran. An all-around masterpiece of horror -as well as some of Kubrick's sly humor- , this Halloween staple is must-see viewing for any time of the year...