The Shining

The Shining(1980)

If you enjoy movies with good acting, it is hard to beat Jack Nicholson's performance as Jack Torrance in "The Shining." In this horror film, Nicholson gets so deep into his character that it is easy for one to actually believe that he is insane. However, if you don't enjoy a good scare from a horror movie, you are better off not watching it at all.

In this film, a man named Jack Torrance (played by Nicholson) takes a job as a caretaker for a large hotel for an entire winter. With this hotel being 40 miles away from any city, Jack and his family (a wife and a son) are completely isoltaed from society for months straight. This, in combination with his son who has a special ability called "the shining" which enables him to see things before they happen, makes the film quite distrubing on many levels, and eventually Jack, an already unstable human being, goes crazy from this isolation.

This is not the type of horror film where an anonymous slasher kills random couples in the park after dark or when the killer remains a mystery until the end, it is an original type of horror where one man, the main character, gradually loses his mind and goes over the edge. One cannot help but to think while watching it, "Wow. This man is crazy." As far as Jack's son, Danny, he brings the super-natural effect to the table which mixes in with his real human emotions, and director Stanley Kubrick nails this by showing glimpses of his "visions" which are really creepy for anyone to watch.

"The Shining" is intentionally made to make the audience feel constant uncomfort. This, however, is the true genius of the horror film, which many of horror films lack. If you call yourself a real fan of horror movies and you haven't seen this film, then you are not a real fan until you see it. Whether you like scary movies or not though, "The Shining" is one of those films that will hold your attention from start to finish (if you can make it to the finish without turning it off), as the intensity is constantly building. If you think that you can handle a frightening film but still appreciate its genius, then you must watch "The Shining" if you have not yet seen it already.