Better than the novel, by far

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2015)

Probably the most popular and easily accessible Kubrick film in existence, THE SHINING is a film I've seen plenty of times over the years and yet it's a movie that never gets old. Part of the reason for that is the professionalism of the director; his cinematography is exceptional, really bringing the Overlook Hotel to life so that it becomes a character in itself.
As well as being superb-looking, THE SHINING is both a creepy and exceptionally entertaining movie. It's far more effective than the Stephen King novel on which it was based, purely because it takes a more realistic approach to the material: you can argue perfectly correctly that this is a psychological tale of terror in which all of the events take place in the minds of the protagonists. Gone are the living hedges of the King novels, elements which Kubrick rightly realised wouldn't translate to the screen very well (check out the '90s THE SHINING TV miniseries to see how they did).
Kubrick's main beef with the film is that the Jack Nicholson character seems psychotic from the outset, a contrast to his rational character in the book. But Nicholson is what makes this film a real delight to watch; he's a fantastic psycho and probably the most entertaining cinematic psychopath, better even than Anthony Perkins's Norman Bates. Duvall and Lloyd are fine, of course, but it's Nicholson who makes this such a compelling production. Finally, Kubrick throws in plenty of creepy stylistic techniques, like the subliminal images and some truly grotesque imagery, which makes this a chilly, frightening classic and one of the best 'haunted house' flicks in existence.