The Shining

Every once in a while you come across a film that just completely transfixes you in amazement. This is The Shining for me. My eyes were locked on Kubrick’s one of many masterpiece continuously, as we fall into a path of derangement, a psychotic change in character and story, in the greatest horror picture I’ve yet to had the fortune of seeing. The Shining follows the story of writer Jack Torrance keeping up maintenance on a hotel during the harsh winter times. We’re informed of how this has previously ended with tragedy, a man driven to murder his family, and ultimately, himself. Jack constantly reminds himself that this same incident won’t occur again, ensuring that his sanity won’t break. But he does, he cracks under isolation. A reoccurring theme of this story is how the aftermath of the family murder in 1970 resurfaces to our protagonists, a foreshadowing to Jack’s psychopathy unleashed on his wife and child. It’s the horror of how history repeats itself, brilliantly told through Kubrick’s genius direction, and an unforgettable atmosphere. The usage of score, builds a tense, unforgiving feel, one of entrapment in the Overlook Hotel - which is exactly what Jack does to his family. Nicholson’s performance is an all time great, genuinely one I’ll never forget. He’s terrifying, a family man turned murderous. But you really do feel for Duvall’s Wendy Torrance. She’s the only purely sane one left, all alone, fearful of what’s happening to those she loves most. The Shining is a beautifully atmospheric, horrifying picture, which one of the best to ever do it, expertly directed.