THE SHINING 🤩

Whether you read my recent Halloween review of DOCTOR SLEEP or not (but you really should read it right now), now is the time to talk about THE SHINING. There’s a reason we saved it for last this year. It’s not only one of the best horror films, but it’s also one of the best films of all time. I’m not sorry it changed Stephen King’s vision between the novel and the film. What’s on screen is a masterpiece. 

If you haven’t read King’s 1977 novel of the same name, you may not know that director & co-writer Stanley Kubrick took some big liberties with the plot. I’ve often wondered if DOCTOR SLEEP was only written and then produced as a film years later because King wanted this story to be remembered how he meant it to be. Well, that sequel will be mostly forgotten, and the original 1980 film will be taught in film schools and discussed by critics and fans alike until the end of humanity. 

I originally saw THE SHINING when I was around 6 or 7 years old. It was on television or VHS, so it’s possible it was at least partially edited (A cursory search tells me its television premiere was on ABC in 1983, but I am pretty sure I saw it before that). But that was probably way too young. But it had an immediate effect on me. It’s one of my earliest memories of wanting to work in film (which I did have a brief career in), and it was absolutely the catalyst for me to seek out more horror films when I got a little older. I’m not an expert on THE SHINING, like some people are. I just think it’s a great film. It has the perfect blend of creepiness, scariness, and intensity. And the acting! This is my Jack Nicholson movie. Watching Nicholson as Jack Torrance go from serious dad to serious terror over the course of 144 minutes has stuck with me since that very first viewing. As I got older, I came to appreciate Shelley Duvall as the heart of the film. As Jack’s wife, Wendy, her performance is often overlooked, but no one else could have been Wendy. It’s perfect casting and a flawless performance. Danny Lloyd, as their son, took on a heavy role at a young age. He was only 5 or 6 when filming started. I can imagine it was actually quite frightening even to pretend to play such a haunted kid in a troubled family. 

Years ago, when I was in film school at NYU’s Tisch, we screened THE SHINING to discuss the cinematography. It was one of the earliest films to use the steadicam, a stabilizing mount for a film camera. I can’t even imagine the film without being able to follow Danny on his Big Wheel around the Overlook Hotel—a core element that gives the film its overall creep factor. 

As I revisited THE SHINING and its sequel recently, I started giving more thought to what “the shining” really was and which characters had it and which didn’t. The film makes two quite obvious points, but my feeling is that it runs in the family and that it’s not just one Torrance dealing with it. 

Forty-five years after its U.S. release, THE SHINING remains one of the most discussed films of all time. Its influence on horror films since then cannot be understated, and it’s been parodied on THE SIMPSONS, referenced in countless TV shows, and Nicholson’s iconic line “Here’s Johnny!” has been an internet meme since memes were a thing. 

If you’re a collector of Blu-rays or DVDS, just go ahead and buy THE SHINING. Unfortunately, a Criterion Collection version of it has never existed.

It’s also currently streaming on HBOMax, but it often makes the rounds on various streamers. It’s an absolute MUST-SEE.