The Shining is famous for being one the scariest horror films around. When I began to watch it a few days back, I expected to be frightened by the film. But surprisingly I wasn’t, but this doesn’t take any of the excitement from it. The film was produced in 1980 so is quite an old flick but I feel this adds more tension to the film, making it a true classic and just as exciting today as it was 20-odd years ago. Based on the novel written by Stephen King, the film stars Jack Nicholson as caretaker Jack Torrance put in charge of a snow-bound hotel in Colorado.
While the Overlook Hotel is shut Jack is put in charge of looking after the hotel. He brings his wife, Wendy and child, Danny to accompany him in the winter months. They adopt the staff quarters as their living quarters. With Jack being a professional poet, he begins his next poem. Everything seems to be going fine until Jack slowly begins to go crazy. He begins to see ghosts that we tragically killed in the hotel years back and continue to haunt the hotel and it’s residents. Meanwhile Jack’s son, Danny can witness his father’s decline early on and can sense bad spirits. Danny is a ‘Shiner’ and can communicate with other ‘shiners’. We are not informed by the amount of shiners around, the only other we know of is the chef who will tragically return later on in the film.
Jack’s decline and craziness is revealed to Wendy when she eventually sees Jack’s work. Although it is fair to say she was not expecting thousands of pages saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Potentially the scariest scene in the whole film, we see Jack as a true maniac here and leaves us fearing for the lives of Wendy & Danny.
A lot of the film is very confusing. More frightening aspects of the film are the two twins that Danny continues to see, Room ‘237’ and the flooding of the hotel in blood. Nicholson delivers a terrific performance as the psychopath and the final chase in the maze is brilliantly displayed and gripping action. The famous scene where Jack crashes the door open with an axe is a terrific scene but also quite frightening.
Some interesting facts about the film, in the novel the film is room number of the strange woman 217, but is switched to room 237 in the film. Why? Well The Timberline Lodge (which is the hotel used in the film and is an actual running hotel) had a room 217 but no room 237, so the hotel management asked Kubrick to change the room number because they were afraid their guests might not want to stay in room 217 after seeing the film. Interesting.
Another great aspect of the film is the music. The music is brilliantly chosen and makes the suspense bigger and heightens the frightening features of the film. When the music builds up, so does the tension. Without the great background music, this film wouldn't be half as good as it is. The soundtrack is definatly worth a listen to!
Overall, ‘The Shining’ is a brilliant horror classic. It is gripping right from the start to the very ending. Although they aren't any special effects in the film with it being set in 1980, the film copes marvellously without it and if anything special effects would have spoilt it. Many parts of the film is very confusing and requires deep thought at some times in the film. But still defiantly worth a watch if you haven’t already seen it. Without spoiling the ending for you all I will just advise that after watching it, you remember the Delbert Grady’s comments, ‘Sir, you are the caretaker here, and have always been the caretaker here’. It might help you understand it a little bit easier. Enjoy the film.
DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick STARRING: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd LENGTH: 119mins CERTIFICATE: 18
Thanks for reading. Rob :)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I've seen this film quite a while ago now and i have to say it was scary seeing Jack Nicholson play some raging psycho killer.Definetly a horror classic and i agree with you that the two twin girls standing in the hallway is still too damn scary , one of the most terrifying scenes in the whole film anyway a well informative review.
hazel_uk316 21.06.2003 19:55
Im 14 and my dad let me watch it ! Cool op, I agree with most things. I found it gripping but not at all scary , and I got a bit confused at sometimes (e.g the ending with Jack in the photo and where wendy sees that bear) ?? My fave bit would have to be the sheets and sheets of the 'all work and no play makes jack a dull boy' worst bit must be the naked 80 year old ....eurgh
j_mcb 20.06.2003 20:35
That was a really interesting fact about the room numbers. I wondered the first time I saw it but just dismissed it as me lapsing into early senile dementia. Good op, this film is gripping, it makes me flinch so much. I like films that are so tense they can move me - in the physical sense. Joe
Stanley Kubrick'sThe Shiningis less an adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling horror ... more
novel than a complete re-imagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretake...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Stanley Kubrick'sThe Shiningis less an adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling horror ... more
novel than a complete re-imagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretake...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) gets a job as caretaker at the ... more
deserted Overlook Hotel during the winter. He takes up residence with his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, who experiences clairvoyant forebodings. As the bleak isolation of...
Think of the greatest terror imaginable. Is it a monstrous alien? A lethal epidemic? Or ... more
as in this harrowing masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick is it fear of murder by someone who should love and protect you - a member of your own family? From a sc...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![The Shining [DVD] [1980]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78525379.jpg "The Shining [DVD] [1980]")
very helpful by (97%):
helpful by (3%):
