My Favourite Movies

The Shining

'Some places are like people - some shine and some don't'

Woah what a film. As I'm writing this it's officially been 35 years since the release of The Shining to public audiences, nowadays it is considered an all time classic but back in the day, it received much criticism. As of now it still has a 61/100 from critics on the Metacritic website, and few took interest to this masterpiece. Well I absolutely love it. The Shining is an amazing journey into insanity, and not just a typical one.

Adapted from Stephen King's bestselling novel, Stanley Kubrick took the reigns as Director and boldly took the story in a completely different direction. Stephen King's novel is very different from the movie, and that is because his novel goes for a more traditional horror story. Stanley Kubrick's screenplay incorporated ambiguity and multiple layers to the movie, which aren't in the novel.

The main purpose of a horror movie is to scare you, and many would argue that The Shining didn't scare them. Again what scares you is incredibly subjective, just like what one person finds funny another may not. One thing that The Shining does incredibly fucking well is atmosphere. My god. The whole movie has this dream-like feel to it where you're not sure what is real and what is fiction. The fantastic use of tracking shots, sound design and visual effects is what I love about it so much.

The Cinematography is one of the best I've ever seen in a movie. The excessive use of tracking shots help create a disconnect from the audience and also gives way for some intelligent shots. Just shot placement in general is fantastic and I could watch this movie over and over just for the visuals. A personal favourite scene of mine is at the end when they are running through the maze, the way the camera moves and follows the characters around every corner is truly breathtaking.

Another thing that horror movies tend to forget about these days is actual characters and good performances. Jack Nicholson gives one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen on film, at this point it is iconic. His character goes through very major changes throughout the film, and the slow realization that he is going insane is most definitely what you will remember after your viewing. Shelley Duvall plays Jack's wife in the film and she too also gives a truly heartbreaking performance, throughout she increasingly looks worse in every frame as she tries to make sense of it all. The kid in the movie, Danny Lloyd, gives a great child performance considering his age, and what the role called for performance wise.

During the filming of the movie Stanley Kubrick directed each actor differently. For instance, he treated Jack Nicholson normally considering his insane role, but he was particularly mean to Shelley Duvall. Jack Nicholson had to be angry for the majority of the movie and Shelley Duvall had to cry and be in hysterics for the majority. Stanley Kubrick recognised this and his directing style called for him to wind up and evoke the emotions out of her. She suffered from nervous exhaustion throughout filming, including physical illness and hair loss. It thankfully worked.

It's a real shame that Stanley Kubrick isn't around anymore. He was a genius in what he did and he always made films of quality no matter what varying opinions call for. He was a perfectionist much like David Fincher, but Kubrick took it to the extreme and his effort shows in the completed cut of the film. On Kubrick's insistence, Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall performed the baseball bat scene a record breaking 127 times. In a basic scene where supporting actor Scatman Crothers shows Shelley Duvall around the kitchen, Stanley Kubrick demanded 85 takes, in the middle of which Crothers broke down and cried in frustration. 'What do you want Mr Kubrick?!' He screamed. 'What do you want?!'

The Shining is a particularly slow film, and it definitely needs to be. For the first 2 hours it is literally just building up suspense and creating an atmosphere that has yet to be replicated onscreen since. It scares me but not necessarily in a stupid jump-scare way where things are constantly being thrown at the screen. It takes it's time which also fits the nightmare setting of The Overlook Hotel, in which you cannot escape. The Shining is a slow burn horror movie, one that aims to get under your skin and disturb you for days.