Customer Reviews
The best horror film ever! 
2008-05-30
To put it simply, this is the best horror film ever made. They don't get any better than this.
Jack Nicholson makes this inadequate adaptation of a great S. King novel worth watching 
2008-05-29
Without Jack Nicholson, this so-so movie wouldn't be worth the effort. But Jack really shines through (as he often does) and makes this flick almost work. The script and storyline fall short of representing this great Stephen King novel. The true explanation of what is happening is never given in the movie. You're left wondering what the whole thing was about. Scatman Crothers was a wonderful choice in the role of Halloran, the cook who tells Danny about 'the shining'. The boy who played Danny did a good job as the kid. Shelley Duvall is supurb at acting scared, but otherwise fails to carry the role of Jack's wife Wendy. For the most part, the acting, script, pacing and overall effect fell short of its target. Too many short cuts were taken, such as having a hedge maze instead of hedge animals, and the cheesy ending that was cheaper to shoot than it would have been if they had ended the movie properly according to the novel. Decent special effects...occasionally almost scary. Jack Nicholson does a great job of saving this movie, but there is such a drag factor in so many of the movie's downfalls, it's still only worth 3 stars. If you're a big Jack N. fan, get it. Otherwise, I can't highly recommend this so-so flick.
One of the smartest horror films of all time... 2008-05-05
There are few films that can deliver the same chills and feeling of eminent dread that `The Shining' manages to bestow upon the viewer each and every time it is watched. Just about every frame is perfectly crafted to entice genuine feelings of misery, fear and anguish. This is one of those rare films that can stop your heart dead cold while simultaneously causing it to beat louder and faster than it has every beaten before. `The Shining' is, in all honesty, one of the most effective horror films every filmed.
But, thankfully, it's also one of the smartest.
Yes, `The Shining', helmed at the capable hands of Stanley Kubrick, proves to be far more than a slew of cheap thrills but in the end becomes a fascinating film, one with enough `hidden' messages and meanings to keep the audience guessing long after the film has wrapped. I love films that move you to ponder the vision behind it, and Kubrick has always been known as the supreme visionary. `The Shining' is no exception. When you look at Kubrick's work you can see his ability to make something deeply disturbing and ultimately `important'. Just look at `A Clockwork Orange', `Eyes Wide Shut' and the obvious `2001: A Space Odyssey' and you'll see that Kubrick is far from a `simple' director. So then `The Shining' would no doubt be far from a `simple' horror film. When you watch and dissect all of the clues and tricks Kubrick places throughout the film (there are whole websites dedicated to this film and that very purpose) then you will begin to see this film in a whole new light entirely.
Couple Kubrick with the intensity that is Stephen King and you have the potential for greatness.
What I think happened here, sadly, is that many `horror' fans were expecting to see King's novel transported onto the screen; nothing more, nothing less. Kubrick is not that simple. If you look at what he did with `A Clockwork Orange' (although he did stay `truer' to that work than this) you can see that Kubrick always makes his films his own. The same is true with `The Shining', but to a greater extreme. Stanley Kubrick gave us his interpretation of the novel. I admire this, adore this even. Kubrick was a fascinating director who took chances and risks and they almost always paid off. This is a masterful example of those risks working wonders for the finished product.
The film follows the Torrance family; Jack, Wendy and their son Danny. Jack and his wife have been asked to care for the `OutLook Hotel' for the winter and they are more than looking forward to the task. It doesn't take long though for this task to turn into a burden when strange things start taking place and Jack begins to descend into the darkness of insanity.
I don't really want to say much more about the plot or the events that unfold. This is a film you really must see to fully appreciate. What helps elevate this film is Jack Nicholson's flawless performance as Jack Torrance. I'm going to broach the same subject I jostled around when reviewing Tim Burton's `Batman'. Jack Nicholson always plays a variation of himself; and I adore this about him. He's one of our greatest actors ever even if his range is slightly jilted by his overpowering demeanor. I am the one person in all humanity who disliked his turn as The Joker. I just thought it was too much. It was an example of Jack playing Jack poorly (in my opinion)...but Jack Torrance is the supreme example of Jack playing Jack masterfully. All his eccentricities are here in fullest form and they add so much to the fear permeating the film. Any other actor would have fallen flat in my opinion for no one else can play Jack like Jack. `The Shining' may be a smart film, but without Jack it would lose a lot of its chill-factor.
When you take a flawless director and take a flawless actor and give them free reign with a flawless script you have a flawless film; no way around it.
The other actors in the film have their ups and downs. Danny Lloyd us very, very effective as Danny Torrance. Next to Nicholson, Lloyd is perfectly cast. They work off one another brilliantly, and Lloyd effectively carries one of the most spine-chilling scenes in the film (`redrum') and manages to stay with the viewer long after the credits have rolled. Shelley Duvall is less effective (thus the Razzie nomination). Her whiney annoyance is a little much to take at times, especially towards the films conclusion. I won't give her too much flak though for she does prove to be frantically stimulating (especially in that bathroom scene) at times. When every other facet of the film is perfect you tend to forgive effortlessly the minor faults.
In the end I must say that `The Shining' is in a league all its own. As far as horror films go, there really is no better place to look. Unfairly snubbed by every awards body at the time, `The Shining' is seriously one of the finest films ever made. Kubrick was a master of the lens, and this is a superlative example of that very fact.
Stanley Kubrick's Home Alone 2008-04-28
At times Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining feels like Home Alone with jokes (Macauley Culkin's "Oh no!" expression even originates in young Danny Lloyd's reaction to seeing the caretaker's twins), with Jack Nicholson doing the screen's most prolonged Bruce Dern impersonation while a helpless little boy outthinks him and lures him to his own destruction. Nicholson's constant clowning certainly does the film few favors and makes Jack Torrence more standup comedian than fearsome killer, setting the scene for three decades of comedy improv slashers. Many of the film's most effective moments, such as the conversation with the dead caretaker in the men's' room or the conversations with Joseph Turkel's ghostly barman, tend to work in spite of the star's grandstanding rather than because of it. He's at his best in the early scenes or his the genuinely unnerving moment where the sleep deprived Torrence unemotionally and less than reassuringly promises his son he'd never hurt him, but by the time he's broken out the fire axe all that's missing is the hockey mask and the striped sweater. It doesn't help that child actor Danny Lloyd isn't terribly good either (his croaking "redrum" scene makes you glad Warners turned down Kubrick's offer to direct The Exorcist), but he isn't quite disastrous either.
Yet the film still manages to hold the attention, even if it is often more of a display of technique and Kubrick's visual precision and fascination with the possibilities of the constantly prowling Steadicam rather than a visceral rollercoaster ride: the polite and accommodating Joseph Turkel is easily one of the most memorable spectres in screen history while the ever so formal Philip Stone as the late caretaker with distinct ideas on disciplining children is an almost equally intriguing creation. And with the novel's original ending that saw the various animals carved out of the maze's hedges coming to life impractical with the special effects of the day, Kubrick's solution is very satisfying even if he does steal one shot wholesale from The Last Hunt. One striking thing about two of the Overlook's permanent residents, however: if the place does still contain echoes of all the bad things that have happened there over the years, that must mean that one particular guest must have got the worst oral sex of all time from the guy in the Pluto costume!
Although still cut by three minutes after its premiere, the 146-minute American cut on the Region 1 NTSC DVD works better than the European version that Kubrick himself cut down to two hours. While many of the cuts are pure exposition, with much of the initial tour around the Overlook and all of Anne Jackson's part hitting the cutting room floor, as did part of one of Turkel's scenes, the longer first half of the film means it takes longer for Nicholson to go whacko (in the European version they've barely had time to unpack before he starts slicing up the ham in extra-thick slices). Unfortunately the stereo remix on the DVD tends to dull some of the film's best sound effects, such as the memorable sound of Danny's tricycle as it passes over carpet onto hardwood floor, and the new letterboxed transfer loses detail from the previous fullframe version that Kubrick approved (the overhead shot of the maze in particular).
I almost forgot how good this movie was 2008-03-20
I saw this once when it first came out and when my kids wanted to watch a good horror movie I couldn't find something with PG or PG13 rating. Then I remembered this movie. I got it and it delivers.
DVD extras 
2008-07-14
Since I suspect that most people reading this have already seen "The Shining" and already have an opinion, I'm not going to comment on the plot. Instead I'm going to review the extra features.
"Crafting the Shining" - This was the first DVD extra that I watched, and I enjoyed it a lot. I thought it was a concise, well done look behind-the-scenes with a lot of interesting trivia and interviews.
"Visions of Stanley Kubrick" - This is a short homage to Kubrick. It looks at all of his films to showcase the sort of artist he was.
"Making of the Shining" - This is the exact same documentary as on the "Collection" VHS tape. However, a nice addition is the option of listening to a new commentary by Vivian Kubrick. I enjoyed hearing her stories. She had the unique perspective of being a 17 year old bystander on the set. I wish they had asked her to take part in the commentary for the full movie on disc 1.
"Wendy Carlos" - This is an interesting look at the musical sequences that didn't make it into the final cut of The Shining and Clockwork Orange.
Disc 1 special features - The only extra feature on disc 1 is the commentary by the steadycam operator and a Kubrick biographer. This commentary is why I gave the dvd only 4 stars instead of 5. The biggest disappointment was that they repeat a lot of what was already said in the extra features on Disc 2. The two commentators were recorded separately and then spliced together. The steadycam operator was humorous to listen to and he also keeps you interested because of his unique perspective as a crew member on set almost every day during filming. The biographer's commentary, on the other hand, was disappointing. A few of his comments were insightful, but everyone watching with me felt he sounded pompous. A lot of his comments sound like an art critic fawning over Kubrick while pointing out the obvious. Suffice to say, I wish they had paired the steadycam operator up with someone different for the commentary. It's a shame they couldn't get Nicholson or one of the other actors to provide commentary. I would have enjoyed it more listening to a second person who had actually been there during filming.
Overall, I felt it was worth paying the extra money for this 2 disc dvd as an upgrade from my old VHS copy. The picture quality looks good. I'm happy with my choice. But anyone who isn't a huge fan will probably be completely satisfied with the cheaper 2001 "Kubrick Collection" dvd instead. You are basically paying the big price difference for this special edition only to get 3 short featurettes, Vivian's 30 minute commentary, and a very mediocre full-length commentary. According to Amazon's editorial, the old "Collection" version was supposedly the aspect ratio that Kubrick approved of, anyways.
A five star movie, but only a four star "special" edition.
Great movie! 2008-07-13
I just love the Shining! The book is better than the movie, but the madness is still portrayed in this epic horror film.
redrum. 2008-07-05
The Shining starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall is a solid horror film from start to finish. Stanley Kubrick directed this film and the movie is based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. Parts of this film who definitely freak you out, I highly recommend purchashing this '80s classic, enjoy!
A Horror Masterpiece 2008-06-28
The Shining ranks with the Exorcist as being one of the best horror films of all time.
Perhaps Duval and Nicholson make for an unlikely couple in the beginning, but this
anomoly is easily rectified during the last two thirds of the film. The casting of Scatman,
to my mind, was, along with the casting of Nicholson, sheer genius. From the spine
chilling music playing during the first frames of the movie as the car winds up to the
hotel to the very last frame as the 20s themed music plays and the camera zeros in on
Nicholson's figure at the center of the black and white photograph, the movie delivers.
Stephen King purists can argue all they want over how true the film stayed to the book.
I'm a King fan through and through, and I believe Kubrick's version is outstanding. This
movie is an absolute must for the serious horror collector.
BEST WIDESCREEN MOVIE EVER ??? 2008-06-05
Just got my first 32" widescreen about 3 weeks ago, I'm a kid in a candy shop, but after about 50 DVDs, movies, and concerts, THIS masterpiece seems to look the best !?!? Sure, it's always been a hypnotic movie, for 28 years now, but I've never seen it look so breathtaking. If someone else can give me more such title suggestions, I'm open !
