The Shining
Year: 1980
Rating: R
Length: 146 minutes / 2.43 hours
Stanley Kubrick is one of those directors who can make a great movie in any genre. From science fiction like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) to political satire in Dr. Strangelove (1964) to historic epics in Spartacus (1960), it’s no wonder that he could excel in horror with The Shining (1980). The descent into madness in an isolated mountain hotel was done with such expert craft that this film stands as a pinnacle of the genre even today. It might not be an exact representation of the Stephen King novel, but it works well for the big screen.
Kubrick succeeds in the emotions of unease here through clever application of cinematography and sound design. The audience gets the full experience. We’re along for the ride down at Danny’s (Danny Lloyd) level. We feel small and insignificant in the vast open spaces of the hotel and its nearby hedge maze. The building insanity in Jack Torrance’s (Jack Nicholson) mind is perfectly captured in the discordant sounds that crescendo during a long zoom in on his awkwardly smiling face. Everything together makes this an unnerving slow burn of horror.
And while the somewhat lengthy running time gives room for this gradual descent to madness, there are a few parts that seem only to exist to shock the viewer. I know horror is supposed to have those moments that make you cringe. But when they don’t seem to add anything to the narrative, then what purpose do they have? For what it’s worth, Jack Nicholson is what truly makes this film great. His range from serious to insane is on full display here and it looked like he could lean into some overacting that didn’t seem cheesy.
Horror the likes of which only Stanley Kubrick could deliver, I give The Shining 4.0 stars out of 5.
This movie also appears in Cinema Connections
#148. Stephen King
#149. Jack Nicholson
