The Shining (1980)

Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago at Jan 14 12:46

Nearly thirty years after we first saw Jack Nicholson hack his way through the toilet door, 'The Shining' continues to put the frighteners viewers old and new. I've watched this film a couple of times, and even though I now know exactly what's coming and where, it still sends an uneasy chill up my spine. It's downright disturbing, is what it is. This timeless horror stars Nicholson as a struggling novelist who, along with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd), takes a job as winter caretaker in an apparently empty hotel. The fact that's it's the scene of a previous grisly murder and built on an Indian burial ground should set alarm bells ringing, but it seems there's only one person willing to point out how bad an idea the whole thing is. And that's Tony, t...Read more

Rating : 10/10

Posted : 11 months ago at Aug 4 3:31

First of all, I'm always partial to Stanley Kubrick. IMO, he tends to make movies that are an inch away from being abstract beyond understanding, but keeps the flow of the film reeled in just enough to make seem like it makes sense on some kind of creative level. Add in the grounding of a Stephen King story & a role taylor made for Jack Nicholson, & what you have is one of my top favorite horror movies of all time. And with very little slashing, gore, or shock that most films of this genre (especially today) tend to rely on in order to frighten their audiences. The horror stems more from Jack's delivery & facial expressions as his character, writer Jack Torrance, gradually slips into the madness of a haunted hotel's dark intentions. The phrase "Here's Johnny!" wouldn't be a very scary li...Read more

Rating : 8/10

Posted : 1 year ago at Jun 14 12:24

A most satisfying horror-thriller, with some of the best actors. Shelley Duvall's character is annoying, but the cast is perfect. Some scenes are truly terrifying and that is what makes this movie remarkable.
Definitely Kubrick's best work.


Rating : 8/10

Posted : 1 year, 5 months ago at Feb 1 4:04

From the very title scene I liked it. The aerial shots with brilliant camera and haunting music..
The casting is perfect 10/10. Though i hated Shelley Duvall at the beginning, she and the kid wins it.
the favourite scenes are the long shots of the kid's ride through the lobby and Duvall's discovery of her husband's incredible work!
and of course Jack getting angry at her. wow this movie is one of the best horror -thriller ever

Rating : 7/10

Posted : 1 year, 5 months ago at Jan 27 21:07

Kubrick at his finest, Nicholson at his finest. What else could anyone want? This version of Stephen King's book has almost nothing to do with it. And that's one of the best things about the film. In 1997 King did a remake with many more elements of the book, and the film is a sleeper. I had to watch it like four different times to get through it. Anyway, I'm not here today to write about the 1997 version, but Kubrick's version. Which is much more worthy. The story is about Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) an unemployed writer who gets a temporary job as the caretaker of a summer-time hotel, during the winter. All alone up there with his wife, Wendy (Shelly Duvall) and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd) as time goes by the father begins going crazy because of the solitude and also that he...Read more

Rating : 10/10

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago at Aug 24 16:00

Does this film really need a review? I mean, it's The Shining! Everyone has seen it, right? And if you haven't whats wrong, why aren't you running to the video store to buy it? It's certainly Stephen King's best adaptation, but I think it is not because of King himself (who hated this version, and was determined to re-make a more true-to-book version several years after this one). The real reason it shines is because the genius Kubrick was at the helm. If you think about it, not much happens in terms of 'horror', but this film is terrifying simply from the atmosphere and well filmed scenes. The intro is one of the best in any film, showing a car driving down a winding road with majestic mountains everywhere, which that tense classic piece playing. It really sets the tone and gi...Read more

Rating : 9/10