A shameless assault on the senses

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2009)

A shameless assault on the senses, this is essentially a director's vehicle in which everything comes second to Kubrick's grandeur, and all the better for it really as the material on offer here is fairly standard. Comprised by hyper-lit sets, eccentric soundtrack and visual extravagance, this becomes a tour de force that constantly teeters between psychopathology and paranormality and manages to transmit a genuine feeling of eeriness.
It does however feature a star performance that would probably be better off had it been more restrained. As it is, Nicholson's take tends more towards caricature rather than madness.
Still, this is horror at its best.