It's the good kind of scary.

Rating: 10/10 (12 March 1999)

If by some miracle you've escaped ever seeing this film, you may have some sort of terrifying, bloody picture in your head about what it must be like. It is, after all, touted by many people as the scariest film ever.
But first, read the book. Although the movie deviates from it somewhat, you'll have a much better relationship with the movie. The reason is that when you read the book, you go into the movie understanding the motivation of the characters much more. This is important because, what makes this movie so scary and disturbing is the anti-Rockwellian portrait of domestic American life.
Now, the basic plot is that Jack, an aspiring writer, gets a job as the winter caretaker at a hotel in the mountains. He and his family will live there for several months, keeping the hotel in good condition inside and out. The catch: His son, Danny, has "the shining," which is essentially a sixth sense that can detect supernatural things. Jack has a bit of it, too. Terror ensues and tension builds with the visions that father and son experience. Wendy, the wife/mother, attempts to keep stability in the family without fully understanding what's going on.
This movie is a 10 all the way.