Masterfull Suspense

Rating: 8/10 (23 June 2016)

36 years later, I finally got to watch the Shining, and what a thrill.
Kubrick delivers to us; this masterfully crafted thriller that by its release date in 1980 must have been an absolutely horrid experience. And for generations after its release horror writers and directors have used and reused so many of the elements that make this so wonderful.
The secluded settings, a mountain pass hotel with a gruesome history, well and thoroughly cut off by any outside intrusion due to its location high up in the mountains. And a "snowstorm of generations" to trap anyone who unknowing of its dangers have placed them self at this hotel. (cue our distressed family)
The kid who start experiencing flashing visions. At first mere images and voices of people, but as the time goes by, increasingly more disturbed, grim, and finally to a point where the visions turn physically violent. Once again the viewer is kept guessing; is this visions of years past? Or warnings of an ominous future?
The long winding corridors throughout the hotel that for the viewer feels claustrophobic, and with an uneasy sensation of being trapped. And the camera movement that follows the kid throughout said corridors leaves you constantly guessing what might be around the next corner.
And of course the protagonist turned antagonist, as the already passive-aggressive family father, slowly turns into a full-blow psychotic murderer, thirsting for the blood of his own wife and kid.
These classic elements are what makes this movie so great.