The Shining is possibly one of the most tense films (I think it's wrong to call is scary) ever made.
The story follows Jack Torrance (Nicholson), his wife Wendy and their young son Danny as they follow Jack to a new job at the Overlook Hotel.
The film is entirely set in this hotel where Jack is the caretaker while it is closed for the winter. While it is quiet Jack is meant to be writing a novel (He is an ex English teacher and recovering alcoholic) but he finds it increasingly difficult to cope with the isolation of the hotel.
Much like The Exorcist I think it has lost a lot of its shock value for people brought up on a diet of modern 18 rated films.
That however doesn't stop it from being a classic.
From start to finish this film grips you. The twists and turns in it are great and it will keep you watching all the way though.
Although I love this film I was disappointed when I finally read the book and realised just how much Kubrick had changed it for the film.
By all accounts King and Kubrick fell out about this, and since King has made sure he is always more fully involved in the look of films based on his books now, and due to the way this film was made he released his own television adaptation .
The changes do not stop the film from being very, very tense and totally watchable.
My only gripe about the DVD is the fact that it is (Or at least was) difficult to find for under 18 quid which I felt was a bit of a steep price for a 20 odd year old film with few extras on the DVD (Which for me is half the reason for buying a DVD).
Edit: The DVD has these extras: Vivian Kubricks Behind The Scenes Documentary The Making Of The Shining With Optional Commentary By Vivian Kubrick, Interactive Menus, Scene Access and a trailer.
I’ve now been able to find a copy of this DVD for £7.97 on Amazon Exc. P&P making it a much more reasonable buy.
If you aren't too concerned about extras I would say buy the VHS version; it's a whole lot cheaper.
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Production Year: 1980 - Horror - Director: Paul Lynch - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen, Casey Stevens, Anne-Marie Martin, Antoinette Bower
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...
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...
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...
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]")
Oct 8th, 2003
(Jan 6th, 2005)
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