A horror classic.

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2017)

This is an indispensable horror classic, which tells of how a former teacher moves with his wife and son to an isolated luxury hotel to work as a caretaker in the months that its closed. What he couldn't know is that the place, where there were already dozens of deaths, is apparently a hot-spot of evil, that only his son can perceive. Its based on a novel by Stephen King, which I unfortunately haven't yet had the pleasure of reading, and is my favorite film of Stanley Kubrick's work. Although it contains extremely violent scenes of carnage and nudity, its relatively contained in comparison to other films I've already seen. From the very beginning, it creates a very pleasant suspense around John Torrence and his family, without ever specifying two things: the nature of John's son's gift and the nature of the evil that inhabits the hotel. Two things that it purposely leaves open, perhaps to increase the impact of the end. Jack Nicholson played the lead character and I think its fair to recognize that it was the most challenging and iconic role of his career. He was fantastic, and his body and facial expression helped immensely to make him more real. The same thing can be said of Shelley Duvall, who was incredible as Mrs. Torrence, harmonizing well feelings of disbelief, fear, powerlessness and urgency to act and protect herself and her child. The film has good special and visual effects, as well as an excellent and credible set. For the last, a final note to warn that it is a movie unsuitable for faint-hearted.