Very chilling ghost story

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2006)

Never in my entire life have I been bothered by a film as much as this Â– I must say this film is simply the most astonishingly shocking horror I have ever watched, and ironically I loved it, despite being petrified at the time.
Jack Nicholson (One flew over the cuckoo's nest, as good as it gets) is simply outstanding as troubled winter caretaker Torrance. To play a character who is stressed, enthusiastic, deranged, weird and simply crazy is beyond me and this is one performance which simply is a must watch, because it is probably his best performance I have seen.
Despite criticisms I thought Duvall (Roxanne, Popeye) was simply charismatic in her role as the wife to Jack. Her expressions when terrified are funny but down right frightening to say the least; I was scared to the bone.
As well as fantastic acting, the story is very gripping and fits the horror genre perfectly. It is emphasised well with Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange) directing short scenes with extremely low and slow sounds to make the scenes very chilling. There are quick flashes of Danny's visions which are also very unsettling. I found that the use of the ghosts was an extremely powerful device to make audiences scared, I was especially chilled by the twin girls, and their expressions were horrific.
It's a very consistent plot which always keeps the viewers on their toes as to what is going to happen next. It's all about staying in control and withstanding certain situations and many stubborn people may argue that it is a predictable horror but nevertheless it is extremely gripping, chilling and down right exciting.
Being set in such a claustrophobic area adds to the tension and mystery behind an astonishing plot.
One particular scene I found fascinating was the blood elevator scene which must be a landmark in horror genre history. Slow, captivating and wondering, brilliance by Kubrick.
I wouldn't recommend this to people who get scared easily. If you like tension, uneasy characters, personality changes and chilling ghosts then it is a definite watch.
The reason this film for me doesn't get a 10 is because I found it so unnerving, not really my type of genre. Absolutely nothing else wrong with it though.