The Shining

Personal anecdote time: I first saw this film when I was 7 years old and I vividly remember the experience. As much as I’d like to say it didn’t, there is a complete certainty that this altered the chemistry in my brain for better and for worse. I’ll never forget my Dad seeing me walk past and telling me to sit down with him and check this out, asking me my thoughts every step of the way which looking back on now is completely insane. I mean sure no 7 year old should be watching The Shining anyway but the fact that it’s the most iconic husband/father losing his mind with a wife and son allegory that simply won’t get out of his way so he can work makes this such a ridiculous thing to get your young son, or any family member to try absorb. Deep down I do love it since it’s part of my childhood, even with the nightmares it gave me. The only thing I could take away from this as a child was that it’s some of the most peculiar vibes conjured in a horror movie or really any movie. The combination of the scenery, the earth-shattering lead performances, score that pierces your psyche and general amount that can be interpreted from everything makes this one of the most singular adaptations of all time, for my money one of the greatest films ever made. While I desperately need to fill in the gaps of my Kubrick filmography this remains at the top for me. One of the few films that was met with lackluster success from Kubrick as Stephen King notoriously disowned the work entirely before it even released which absolutely affected the projects reception and Kubrick himself for years after. One of the beautiful things about adaptation is just like anything else which is interpretation comes from the absorber and Kubrick took in everything from everywhere. King’s novels always have a major sense of incredibly strange elements among all the other horror and story telling techniques so I always found it quite ridiculous to meet something with such a visceral reaction but it’s not my creation either. As someone who’s read The Shining and viewed the film multiple times, I do think there is a level of simplicity to the core themes of the film even with some differences in specifics. Family collapse through isolation and it’s always been there just waiting for outside emptiness to seep into Jack. Pretty soon your biggest obstacles are looking right at you and he has no choice but to act. As much as the endless speculation is fun this has always been a rather easily digestible story, making the whole experience indescribably unorthodox. Real deal nightmare fuel and I’m not quite sure how you’d have that different of an interpretation. Sorry for the over share. Masterpiece.