The Shining Review: Kubrick's Chilling Hotel Nightmare
9/10 — The Shining (1980)
Pros
- Unforgettable imagery
- Eerie, immersive atmosphere
- Nicholson's wild performance
Cons
- Ambiguous plot
- Harsh on Wendy
Writer Jack Torrance takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel, bringing his wife and psychic son, and slowly succumbs to the hotel’s malign influence. Stanley Kubrick’s version famously divided Stephen King.
What works
The Steadicam shots following Danny through the hotel corridors are hypnotic, and Jack Nicholson’s slide into madness is gloriously unhinged. The hotel is a wonderfully creepy location, and the imagery, from the twin girls to the elevator of blood, is iconic.
Where it falters
Shelley Duvall’s character is treated harshly by the film, and the story is more ambiguous than many viewers would like.
Verdict
Creepy, strange and endlessly analysable. A horror classic.
