The Shining, a masterpiece of thriller movies

Rating: 9/10 (10 June 2008)

The Shining is a 1980 movie by Stanley Kubrick, whom by now has become my favorite director. The movie is based on Stephen King's novel by the same name. The story tells us of Jack Torrance, a retired teacher and now writer, who plans to spend his winter, along with his family, at the Overlook Hotel as the caretaker. The isolation of the place seems to be the perfect condition for Jack's inspiration to flow. His wife Wendy, seems to agree with this decision, but their son, Danny, seems not to like this idea. Doc, as his parents call him, possesses a special talent, a so-called imaginary friend by the name of Tony, whom reveals him future visions. Danny later learns through Mr. Halloran, the hotel's chef, whom posses that same power, called "The Shining", power which also allows the to communicate through some sort of telepathy. From this point on, they are left alone and the story starts becoming awkward. Jack locks himself to type and Danny strolls down on his tricycle through the Overlook's hallways, creating one of the mos memorable scenes of the movie. The mere sound of the vehicle's wheels rolling on the carpet and then on the wooden floor help get the mood right. Mood which is only made creepier by Kubrick's imagery. A pair of twin girls, an elevator filled with blood and the mysterious room 237. Jack on the other hand has been having some mysterious encounters with other people on the supposedly empty hotel, and in a conversation with whom he believes to be the caretaker who killed his own family, is that he is finally revealed to have some sort of background inside the hotel, and is also lead into "correcting" his son and wife. The typewriter continuously clicking on various scenes, makes us believe of Jack's efficient work, but when Wendy manages to enter and read his papers, all she finds are pages and pages filled with the phrase: "All work and no fun, makes jack a dull boy". After a first fight where Wendy knocks Jack with a bat and locks him in the storage room, is that we learn that all the weird things going on are not just in the Torrances heads, but that there indeed are other forces at work, which manage to open the locked door to Jack, hand him an Ax, and change his mind once and for all into killing his family. Jack heads towards the family's room, where Wendy and Danny are hiding in the bathroom. Danny escapes through a window, which is too small for Wendy. Jack makes his way through the locked doors with the help of an Ax, and exclaims the movie's most memorable quote: "Heeeeeres Johnny!". Jack gets his hand cut by Wendy and decides it's better to chase Danny. the boy leads him into a maze and finally to Jack's freezing death, which allows Danny and his mom to escape. Jack Nicholson is amazing, he is perfect for the role, somehow mad men roles fit him perfectly. Whether it is in Batman, The Departed or even Anger Management, Jack's most sane role, ironically, is One Fleew Over The Cuckoo's Nest's McMurphy. Shelley Duvall is also quite perfect to me. Her dialogs seem scared when they ought to be and determined when they need to. Finally, Danny, played by Danny Lloyd makes a respectable job, but always subject to some limitations due to his early age. Stanley Kubrick made all of this possible on his screen adaptation of the novel, which Stephen King considered "Not that faithful to the book". Its dialogs, sequences and specially its imagery are what have made out of this movie such a classic of not only cinema, but of popular culture. References which can be found on The Simpsons or even in Slipknot's video for Spit it Out, to name a few. The soundtrack by Wendy Carlos fits perfectly, its highlights being the simplicity of the main theme, and the piercing screech when the shining is used. So, you may wonder. What makes this movie so scary? There are no alien invasion, epidemic diseases and the ghost do not act directly on people (except the lady from the 237). The terror applied by King and Kubrick relies on the terror caused by the mere idea of being tried to kill by someone you love, and who is supposed to protect you. In any conversation of terror movies, The Shining will always be present.