Review of The Shining (1980) by Manicure — 22 Nov 2020

"The Shining" might not have aged too well, but it's undeniably another excellent example of Kubrick's filmmaking skills, especially if compared to its contemporaries. It still retains its value as a precious film study piece, but audiences who were born from Generation X onwards might find it hard to connect to the material on an emotional level.

Kubrick's meticulous cinematography and attention to detail managed to tastefully recreate the uneasy atmosphere of the Overlook Hotel without relying on the gimmicks of the genres. It's the only haunted house film I could think of that has been shot mostly in such wide and bright spaces, with vivid patterns and cozy colors.

The ominous soundtrack also plays a significant role in emphasizing each scene, with droney sounds and screeching strings that reminded me of the soundscape techniques of David Lynch's "Eraserhead" (1977). It blends incredibly well with the slow pace of a film that is based on lingering images rather than dynamic scenes and jumpscares.

The film is also notorious for its pioneering use of Steadicams to help us feel the spaces for Danny's tricycle scenes and the chase in the maze.

However, no matter how many times I watch it, the horror elements do not work much anymore. It's true that so many classic scenes have been shown and parodied so many times that they lost a lot of their effect, but there are also a lot of unintentionally hilarious moments like those close-ups of Danny with his mouth wide open, the quick zoom on Dick Hallorann's corpse, or the skeleton rooms that show up towards the end.

The psychological sides are still valuable, though. All the scenes focused on Jack's descent into madness, and his visits to the Gold Room still retain that unsettling, chilling atmosphere. Many critics' theories expand on the possible allegories and the subtle sides of the relationship between Jack and his family, but the movie itself does not really dig as deep as I hoped it would. As with most of Kubrick's films, there are tons of studies and documentaries based on "The Shining", but I wonder how much of their discoveries match with the author's intentions.