The Shining

Stephen King may have said the master director knew nothing about horror, but that simply is not true. That is a too biased opinion for anyone to go on given that he wrote the book, which Kubrick based his wonderful film ever so loosely on. And at any rate, faithful or not, KUBRICK's Shining-the BEST crafted genre film of the 80's- performs it's duty as a fright flick, and then some.

There are appropriately no words strong enough to convey the haunting beauty of the visuals showcased throughout the movie, from the drive to the Overlook to the final chase in the hedgemaze the movie is a feast for the eyes as it is for the mind. And it IS a feast for the mind as The Shining is as psychological as horror gets, toying relentlessly, and expertly with your emotions and expectations(some could even say SADISTICALLY), throwing something in that's completely out of left field and never, ever letting you catch your breath between the now classic shocks as the movie speeds toward it's memorable conclusion in the last half hour.

Kudos are in order for Kubrick, a director of the old school style, who builds an eerie atmosphere by exercising total control over the filmic environment, manipulating everything down to the tiniest detail to suit the needs of the picture, yet filming with a coldly detatched, objective eye, as though Kubrick were making a documentary about these events. This would account for the dialouge, which-thankfully-is not the typical phoney balloney Hollywood banter (Kubrick detractors/King purists usually bitch about this the most, having been weaned on the phony nature of 'Hollywood talk', which is usually nothing at all like real talk. Many of us speak 'on the nose', and do not try to convey subtext through use of carefully chosen words that articulate our state of being without being direct.) In this light, Shelley Duvall must be commended for her performance which is very naturalistic. It does not seem like acting at all. She is not concerned with glamour, nor does she clutter her performance with typical acting chops, but rather she is solely focussed on hitting the emotional highpoints of her character as 'Wendy' gradually comes to realize that her husband is a madman. And let's face it folks, how many of us would like a million bucks when placed in a situation like that? Who does NOT look like a blubbering idiot when they are hysterical? That's what I thought, so what did you expect? She was great. To say nothing of the rest of the cast.

When this film first came out in 1980, I remember going to see it on opening night. The sheer terror that I experienced in viewing "The Shining" was enough to make me go to bed with the lights turned ON every night for an entire summer. This movie just scared the life out of me, which is what still happens every time I rent the video for a re-watch. I have seen The Shining at least six or seven times, and I still believe it to be simultaneously and paradoxically one of the most frightening and yet funniest films I've ever seen. Frightening because of the extraordinarily effective use of long shots to create feelings of isolation, convex lens shots to enhance surrealism, and meticulously scored music to bring tension levels to virtually unbearable levels. And "funny" because of Jack Nicholson's outrageous and in many cases ad-libbed onscreen antics. It never ceases to amaze me how The Shining is actually two films in one, both a comedy AND a horror flick. Ghostly apparitions of a strikingly menacing nature haunt much of the first half of the film, which gradually evolve into ever more serious physical threats as time progresses. Be that as it may, there is surprisingly little violence given the apparent intensity, but that is little comfort for the feint of heart as much of the terror is more implied than manifest. The Shining is a truly frightening movie that works symbolically on many levels, but is basically about human shortcomings and the way they can be exploited by unconscious forces combined with weakness of will. This film scares the most just by using suggestion to turn your own imagination against you. The Shining is a brilliant cinematic masterpiece, the likes of which have never been seen before or since. Highly, highly recommended. - Paul

Whenever we hear the name Stanley Kubrick, the poster, scene or a shot from The Shining will come to our mind - most probably " Here's Johnny!". For a legendary filmmaker like Kubrick who has multiple masterpieces to his credit, would still be fine if he had never even made this film. But still, there would be some great missing which will be felt! That's because of The Shining's ability to penetrate the viewer's mind, even the subconscious, and imprint an influence in its deeper depths. How the movie hooks the viewer with its horror which is created from several dimensions is a remarkable factor that makes this film an all-perfect masterpiece that is thrilling and exciting even after watching it umpteen times.

How Kubrick created the horror, just one among the many factors that make the film a great one (still a very important one though), is so deep and mind-blowing, he builds tension in the viewer with enough substance written in the screenplay to showcase on the screen, and perfectly well-tuned and tastefully directed horror. Most importantly, the background music and sounds have immense depth with its structuring crafted to the innermost core and the finely touched upper layers. The actors give performances that are dramatically aesthetic and showcase facial expressions that are realistic to the utmost extent. As the film progresses the anticipation for something scary to expect in the upcoming scenes is created successfully and the anticipation that it created is also executed by scaring the viewer with horrors of huge intensity.

One thing that is found in this film is something of a variety. It's the portrayal of the supernatural in a very realistic manner, which is done in a subtle way that doesn't let the viewer know that it's a realistic portrayal of the supernatural he won't even care to notice it. Because that's how successfully it's done. And what's the use of it? It has an impact on the viewer which affects how he perceives the film, and that too which will be something of an advantage for the filmmaker.

I don't intend to say anything about the story of the film, whether it's supernatural horror or the breakdown of a madman's mind, is still debated among cinephiles, even 40 years after the film's release. And that's also a thing which makes the film a great one! Rather than just showing what the maker wants to show, Kubrick lets the viewer decide what the film is, by making him analyse the film from his perspective and come up with an interpretation. This is a form of interactive cinema, an indirect one though.

The Shining is one of the greatest horror masterpieces or even one of the best films of all time.

One of those films that is a classic for a reason.

It's been on my list of movies to watch forever and a day and I finally got to it in 2023.

This is an experience, masterfully shot and some of the most intense and engaging performances I have ever seen.

Nicholson and Duvall have a complex chemistry that works at so many levels, which is essential to the make up of this story and anchors the first class direction.

This is cinematically spectacular, the sets and the the design of this film is isolating, terrifying and captivatingly beautiful all at the same time.

Worth all of the accolades and hype, even at 43 years old this film delivers in spades.

Kubrick, King and Nicholson, the writing was literally on the wall, and I don't mean RedRum, forty years on, and The Shining is still a masterpiece.

Kubrick takes King's fantastic book, and builds on it, bringing the story to life in his own inimitable way. It's dark, it's bleak, it's terrifying, a masterpiece in storytelling. You watch as the central character's mental collapse is played out in a spine chilling fashion.

Gorgeous camera work, incredible visuals, that opening is iconic. So many incredible, visual moments, the twins, lift, barman etc, no wonder it's been parodied multiple times over the years, famously by The Simpsons.

An iconic role for Jack Nicholson, he is incredible, well supported by a terrific cast.

It's a classic, 10/10.