Review of The Shining (1980) by Cameron H — 20 Dec 2014

Although hailed as one of the scariest films of all time, I must say that I don't find The Shining to be scary at all, minus one moment that makes me jump out of my skin. The imagery is so maddening that it haunts my memory for days, even weeks, after watching the movie. The twins at the end of the hallway, the pool of blood flowing through a doorway, a furry blowing a middle-aged man, an old, decomposing woman trying to hug Jack Nicholson, and, most chillingly of all, Jack Nicholson's descent from a moderately stable writer to a total psychopath. I don't know much about the Stephen King novel on which this film is based, but I need little explanation of these fucked up but certainly memorable images. "Shining" is a power that both Danny (Lloyd), the child to Jack (Nicholson) and Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall), and Halloran (Scatman Crothers), the cook of the hotel, have mastered, and it allows them to see all that happens in past, present, and future. Apparently, however, everyone has the "shining," though some do not believe in it right away. Thus, the images of which I spoke could simply be images or they could be ghosts that can take on human form to manipulate the family members. The ghosts seem to appear in times of desperation. Danny is the first to see them, as his alter ego Tony had already warned Danny of going to the hotel. Jack is next when his wife believes that he harmed their son, first seeing a bartender ghost named Lloyd in the ballroom of the hotel. Finally, there is Wendy, who either doesn't see one until well after Jack tries to chop her with an axe or well before. That is open to interpretation. Beyond that, I dig the gorgeous Colorado scenery, whether the roaring twenties-style hotel and hedge maze are completely bare or snowed in. Meanwhile, in a single scene, the score, compiling songs that were composed independently from the movie, can crawl under my skin with cold minor-key melodies and shrilling notes, then shake my spine out of me with extremely loud and freaky percussion (drums and a marimba, I believe). The duality of these elements drew me into every scene, even when practically nothing is happening on screen.

It's hard to top the engaging performances of Nicholson and Duvall, more so Nicholson. I'm sad that Duvall's best scenes are upstaged by Nicholson, because she actually proves herself to be a good actress. Her character's fragility and weak willpower always linger in each scene, but she can conquer it in the moments when she needs to survive. Nicholson is such a scene-stealer, but he earns it. Initially, he is a cool-headed and slyly charming man, looking for a brighter future for his career and his family. Only a month later, alone in the hotel, he loses his cool, and then his sanity. The first stage of this scares him out of his wits, losing that charm for a while. He soon regains that charm after talking to the ghosts, but sanity is long gone at this point. Jack Torrance then becomes one of the most frightening on-screen monsters that I love to watch, every single time. Before the classic "Here's Johnny" (a reference to Johnny Carson is one of the most iconic moments... lolwut), he recites "Three Little Pigs." And I love it, especially when he follows that with chopping down a bathroom door with an axe. The young Danny Lloyd carries himself very well, though he quit acting after this film was finished. Poor little guy. I can, and probably have, recommended this film enough. The direction and cinematography work flawlessly together in this movie, portraying horror in a beautifully disturbing way. This is essential to any fan of horror films, or films in general.