The Shining

"Jack Torrance" is a writer who suffers from a chronic lack of inspiration. To help overcome his block, he takes a job as a winter caretaker and relocates his family to the remote, huge, "Overlook Hotel" where he hopes he can focus! Gradually, the bleak Arctic conditions outside and the never ending, brightly lit, corridors and rooms long since abandoned start to affect his mind. When he ventures towards the expressly off-limits room 237 it all begins to get truly out of hand. Shelley Duvall is fabulous as his put-upon wife "Wendy" as is Danny Lloyd as their gifted, but largely terrified son "Danny". Kubrick is on top form as he cleverly capitalises on Stephen King's terrifying story helping the star create a wonderful sense of madness and menace tinged with quite a bit of comedy that leaves us with an horror film that is truly scary for a change! Credit also to the make up folks - they manage to help Nicholson transfer from obnoxious writer to axe-wielding psychopath; especially around the eyes, with real impact. 40 yeas on, it still packs a punch.

"Darling, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna bash your brains in." The Shining is a great example of how musical score and cinematography can elevate a movie to the best-of-the-best. I tend to agree with Stephen King that Jack Nicholson looked like a crazy loon from the beginning, making his decent into madness less dramatic. But that can be forgiven by all the iconic scenes masterfully weaved into a horror classic.

"Darling, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna bash your brains in." The Shining is a great example of how musical score and cinematography can elevate a movie to the best-of-the-best. I tend to agree with Stephen King that Jack Nicholson looked like a crazy loon from the beginning, making his decent into madness less dramatic. But that can be forgiven by all the iconic scenes masterfully weaved into a horror classic.