The Shining Movie Review: A Journey into Madness and Horror

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Imagine a cold, dark winter in the middle of nowhere. I want you to pretend that you are a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who has taken a job as the caretaker of a hotel. It is a historic and haunted place where you are the only living occupant. As the snow piles up and the hotel shuts down, you start to lose your mind, influenced by the evil spirits that lurk in the hotel. Suddenly, an ax swings out from a closet door! Tell me, would you: Duck and run? Stay and fight? Curl up and?…

I personally would grab my typewriter and smash Casper right on his pillow top head! I take my writing seriously regardless of my sanity. Besides, a guy’s got to have some inspiration even if it’s deadly.

Speaking of ghosts and axes, let’s talk about one of the best horror films ever made. The Shining (1980), made by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. This movie is based on the book by Stephen King, but it’s very different from it. Some people love it, some people hate it, but everyone knows it. So, sit back and relax, and let’s get started!

The Shining Synopsis

The Shining movie is about Jack Torrance (Nicholson), a writer who can’t write and a drinker who can’t drink. He gets a job as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in the mountains.

He thinks going there with his wife Wendy (Duvall) and his son Danny (Lloyd) is a good idea. But he’s wrong, Dead wrong. Danny has a special power called “the shining”, which lets him see things that other people can’t. He meets a cook named Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers), who has the same power and tells him to stay away from room 237. But Jack doesn’t listen.

He listens to the hotel instead. The hotel is evil. It makes Jack go crazy and violent. It wants him to kill his family. And he wants to do it too. As the snow blocks them in the hotel, Wendy and Danny have to fight for their lives against Jack and the hotel’s ghosts.

The Good

The Shining movie is awesome, and I’ll tell you why.

The acting is amazing, especially by Jack Nicholson, who plays Jack Torrance. He is so good at being crazy and scary that he makes me laugh and scream at the same time. He says some of the funniest and scariest things in horror history, like, “Here’s Johnny!” and “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

Shelley Duvall is also great as Wendy Torrance, who is not as weak and stupid as some people say. She is brave and strong, and she fights back against her husband and the hotel. Danny Lloyd is also good as Danny Torrance, who has to deal with his scary visions and his crazy dad. He also has a cool and creepy friend with his finger puppet Tony, who talks in a weird voice and warns him about the hotel.

The direction by Stanley Kubrick is awesome, as he makes The Shining look and feels scary and tense. He uses a lot of tricks to make the film more exciting and scary, like long shots, zooms, cuts, and music. He also uses sound to make the movie more scary, like silence, whispers, screams, thumps, and other noises that make me think there is something bad in the hotel.

The camera work by John Alcott is awesome, as he shows the hotel and its surroundings beautifully. He also uses a special camera to make smooth and fast shots that follow the characters through the hotel. Some of the best scenes are made with this camera, like Danny riding his bike through the hotel, Jack chasing Danny through the maze, and Wendy finding Jack’s typewriter. The colors are also cool, as Kubrick makes the hotel look warm and cozy inside, but cold and scary outside.

The hotel itself is awesome, as it looks like a real place with a lot of history and secrets. The hotel is like a character in the movie, as it has a lot of things to show and tell. The hotel has a lot of rooms and hallways that make me feel lost and trapped. Some of the scariest and coolest things in the movie are related to the hotel, like the elevator full of blood, the twins in the hall, the bear suit, and room 237.

The Bad

The Shining has some problems, and I’ll explain what they are.

The story is not very coherent, as it leaves a lot of things vague and unresolved. For example, what is the source and nature of the hotel’s evil, and how does it influence Jack and Danny in different ways? What is the purpose of Dick Hallorann’s character in the movie?

What is the meaning of the final scene? The film is also very different from the book, which may disappoint or confuse some fans of the book. For example, in the book, Jack is a more sympathetic and complex character who struggles with his alcoholism and his love for his family. In the film,

Jack is a villain who is already insane and cruel from the beginning. He also has a different outcome than in the book.

Personal Thoughts

Now that I’ve told you the good and the bad things about the shining, I want to tell you what I think and feel about it. The Shining is one of my all-time favorites because it has everything I want in a horror movie: a scary and lonely place, a twisted and surprising story, a crazy and scary bad guy, a scary and tense mood, and a lot of scares and shocks.

This film also has a lot of meaning and symbols, as it talks about things like madness, loneliness, family, violence, drinking, and ghosts. I think this movie is a great and original work of art that has changed and inspired many other horror movies and makers. It is a movie that never gets old or boring, no matter how many times I watch it. It is a movie that scares me, makes me think, and entertains me. It is a movie that I love.

One of the things that I love about the shining movie is the way it makes me wonder and guess. Kubrick never tells us everything or anything about what is going on in the hotel or why. He gives us some clues and hints, but also some lies and mistakes.

He makes us doubt what is real and what is not, what is ghostly and what is mental, what is past, and what is present. He also makes us curious about the reasons and actions of the characters, especially Jack. He creates a feeling of uncertainty and mystery that makes the movie more scary and fun.

The Rating

I give The Shining movie a perfect score of 5 out of 5. This movie is a horror masterpiece that will blow your mind and chill your bones. It has everything you want in a horror film: a creepy setting, a twisted plot, a crazy villain, and a lot of blood. It also has something you don’t often see in horror movies: a brilliant director, a talented cast, and a deep meaning. This movie is not just a scare-fest, it’s a work of art.

The Shining movie will make you think, feel, and shiver. It’s a movie that will haunt you for days and nights. It’s a movie that will make you want to watch it again and again. Trust me, horror fans, you don’t want to miss this one. The Shining is the ultimate horror movie experience.

Check out the video below for some cool behind the scenes of the Shining movie

On a final note

That’s it for the shining movie review(1980). I hope you liked it and that you agree with me on how awesome this film is. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you doing? Go watch it now! And if you have seen it, why not watch it again?

You might see something new or different. And don’t forget to tell me what you think, feel, and wonder about this movie in the comments section below. I love to hear from you and to talk about horror movies.

Also, don’t forget to check out my other reviews on this blog, where I talk about old horror films, new horror films, horror TV shows, and horror stuff. There’s something for everyone here at Think Horror, so stay tuned for more updates and content. Until next time, keep thinking horror!