The Shining (1980)

 

How to do justice to what is probably my most beloved of all horrorfilms? Not an easy feat, not by a long shot. Also probably best not to simply wax poetic about said film, as nothing is without flaws, even if this one comes awfully close. Yes, Kubrick has made several most noteworthy films, but here the marriage of sound design, images and framing might fit together the most snugly. 

We meet up with Jack Torrance, a writer who is suffering from serious writer's block. In the hopes of fixing this, Jack accepts a job as caretaker in a hotel that wil be empty for several months during the winter. This means that he, his wife and their son Danny will have the entire place to themselves and Jack hopes that the isolation will make sure he gets work done on a new novel. 

Never mind that they mention the hotel was built on an ancient Indian burial ground in a throwaway line. Everyone is sure all will be fine. 

Things start off well enough, but slowly and surely it begins to feel amiss. Danny has some telepathic capabilities and he senses that there is something sinister present in the hotel, especially in room 237. Jack is also starting to grow more and more weary and slowly sliding down insanity, as apparently the hotel is starting to poison his mind. Something that also happened to the last caretaker, who killed his wife and two daughters in a fit of madness. 

Quickly though, Jack completely loses it and now Wendy (his wife) and their son will have to find a way to escape not only Jack but also the supernatural grasp of the hotel and its ghostly denizens. 

It's hard to overemphasize how influential this film is on almost every level. The set design is iconic as you will feel completely alone in the lengthy corridors and massive rooms, all designed to alienate everyone from the world. A massive hotel with only three people present will naturally feel large, but here, everything (to the high ceilings) is designed to make it doubly so. Kubrick catches this in either long takes or with stunning cameramoves. This might be something you will pick up after several viewings and not necessarily the first time, but it is brilliant to discover. 

The music is also cool and disconcerting. It starts fairly light-hearted, but as the story progresses, it grows more and more dissonant and twisted, sucking you in. This is coupled with the fact that the film first takes big jumps in time and then always smaller. First it's months, then days and then hours. It's subtle, but once again intricately wrought. 

And the acting is sublime. Sure, you could argue that Jack Nicholson always looks a little insane, but that is now. But his descent into madness is so gripping... For the most part, you will wonder whether or not it is all in his mind, but in the third act, it becomes clear that there is something supernatural. But the road to this point is well honed. Little Danny is also pretty good and Shelley Duvall is excellent as Wendy, who gets a lot of abuse thrown her way. Just a shame that apparently Kubrick was a bit of a dick to her in order to get her to deliver her exhausted and traumatised performance. 

Not cool, Stanley. Very not cool. 

Scatman Crothers, whom I will always know as Jazz from the Transformers-cartoon, is also good as Dick Hallorann, the chef who - like Danny - has this telepathic streak. It doesn't amount to much, to be honest, but Crothers is always fun to watch. 

There are so many iconic scenes here, it's hard to pick some. There's the elevators flooding with blood, the twin girls staring down the hall, the "Here's Johnny!" (which is probably the most famous line by far), but for me, the best scene is a more subdued one. When Jack is having a second drink in the ballroom which he now imagines to be filled with people, one of the waiters accidentally pours some drinks on him and then takes Jack to the bathroom to get cleaned up. It turns out this is Grady, the previous caretaker. And even though the conversation starts off rather innocent, it slowly but surely turns ominous and downright spinechilling and you won't even notice how they got from one end of the spectrum to the other. 

Trust me: if you can see it separately to dissect it, do. It is clever writing, directing and acting at its finest. 

You could argue that it is a shame that the supernatural angle becomes apparent in the final act, but compared to the book, this version is much more chilling and subdued. Or would you prefer a demonic entity in the boiler room that makes the hotel explode right after Jack smashes his own face in with a croquet mallet? 

Didn't think so either. 

Is it required viewing for any horror and/or thriller-fan? Absolutely. Heck, this is probably required viewing for anyone, as this is an absolute gem of a film; a masterclass in suspense.