The Shining

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2006)

Stanley Kubrick's only real attempt on making a horror movie, has turned out as one of the best horror films ever. While all the actors do a great job in this movie, the real main role here plays the Overlook hotel. I can't think of any other film, in which the location of the story makes a contribution this big to the atmosphere. The huge hallways and rooms and their extraordinary great interior equipment are frightening just for what they are, partly because of the emptiness and isolation suffered by the main characters. Undeniably great are, of course, also the steadicam shots of Danny in the maze and him riding through the corridors of the Overlook. The degree of technical perfection that Kubrick delivers with "The Shining" is stunning. Further big contributions to the film's success are made by the haunting and effective music, as well as the source material by Stephen King, which was adapted and provided with some major changes by Kubrick and co-writer Diane Johnson.