Masterpiece of Modern Horror

Rating: 10/10 (17 February 2001)

"The Shining" is, without a doubt, one of the best horror films ever made. Without resorting to horror formulas and cheesy shocks, this film manages to be highly frightening, and, at the same time, a thinking-man's horror movie. Jack Nicholson's performance as Jack Torrance, the writer gone mad, is absolutely terrifying. Shelley Duvall plays his nagging wife, Wendy Torrance. She portrays a weak, frightened, frail woman to perfection. Danny Lloyd is surprisingly eerie in the role of Jack and Wendy's son, Danny Torrance. A great cast is made even better under the masterful direction of legendary director, Stanley Kubrick. Throughout, we get the beautiful tracking shots (a Kubrick trademark) through the giant, cavernous main halls, and the narrow Steadicam shots through the narrow corridors of The Overlook Hotel. Unlike such horror atrocities as "Valentine" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" this film is not in-your-face; it's a very subtly portrayed masterpiece. One last note: The Overlook Hotel is one of the greatest movie sets in the history of film. All in all, a great movie, very highly recommended. ****/****