Review of The Shining (1980) by Matt M — 26 Dec 2013
Stephen King famously despised this big screen version of his own work. Nevertheless, whether he likes it or not, The Shining is rightly one of the most celebrated works of the horror film genre. The story is that of a writer who is experiencing writers' block heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where evil spirits lurk.
A truly eccentric and stylised experience signed Kubrick, who chronicles a descent into madness in a truly horrifying way that aims and succeeds in deviating from conventional forms of storytelling. In fact, the narrative structure of the film could be likened to that of the maze where the film ends - intricate and experimental, this is one of the things that has kept people speculating on some supposed hidden meanings that lie within it.
The photography is exemplary, famously making use of Steadycams for the first time in a major motion picture. The mood and atmosphere is haunting and makes for one of the most frightening baroque vision cinema has ever experienced.
On top of that, Jack Nicholson plays a mean leading character and makes this chronicle of a descent into madness more real, authentic and therefore genuinely psychologically compelling.
This review of The Shining (1980) was written by Matt M on 26 Dec 2013.
The Shining has generally received very positive reviews.
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