By Nadia Ranaputri
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers.
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear The Shining? Is it the creepy twins in the hotel corridor? Is it Jack Nicholson's memorable performance? Or is it the ever infamous " Here's Johnny! " scene that has been referenced to death in countless films and TV shows? Whatever it is, there is no doubt that The Shining has some kind of impact in the film industry, whether it is as one of the icons of the horror genre, or an iconic film in general that has been a staple for film lovers for years. Based on the 1977 novel by the master of horror himself, Stephen King, The Shining has cemented itself on the Horror Walk of Fame. In a way, director Stanley Kubrick has made masterpiece that has been remembered for decades, and that's due to the fact that very few films ever got under your skin. The Shining is an unsettling depiction of paranoia and insanity, of a torn family, and of man's downward spiral into madness as he spends months in an isolated hotel with secrets that are yet to come to light.
The Shining begins with recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who accepts a job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, which closes during months of harsh winter. Torrance has a questionable incident that caused him to lose his previous job, so he takes this opportunity to possibly redeem himself and have a bonding moment with his family. And so it goes, his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) accompany him and gets the hotel all to themselves for the coming months. Unbeknownst to both parents, Danny possesses a telepathic ability known as "the shining", in which he is able to enter the minds of others through a "shine" and see premonitions; making him the first to be aware of the hotel's hidden secrets that lurk in its halls. During their stay at the hotel, Jack snags the chance in his time of isolation to chase his dream of becoming a writer by starting his own book. However, things start to escalate when the hotel begins to reveal its inner demons, or the ghosts that inhabit the hotel, hence the twins in the corridor, and the woman in the mysterious Room 237. From there, the hotel begins to influence Jack, which leads to a slow spiral of insanity.
From the moment Jack begins his descent, you feel that great sense of dread, of knowing that whatever is coming is inevitable. Part of that is due to Jack Nicholson's incredible performance. Even from the way his eyes immediately bulge out when he snaps, to the calm yet eerie tone, his performance makes you feel that he's slowly succumbing to whatever lurks in the Overlook. There's a particular scene here that is not only one of my favorite scenes in this film, but perhaps one of my favorites in any film ever; and that scene is where Jack stalks Wendy up the stairs saying, "Wendy....darling...light of my life, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna bash your brains. I'm gonna bash them right the fuck in." That scene alone shows you what a masterclass Jack Nicholson is as an actor. However, I will say, upon reading Stephen King's novel soon after, that the novel's depiction of Jack's spiral downfall is a lot more eerie than the film, given that its length gives it enough time to lay things out slowly. But the film does an impressive job of translating some of that on screen (again, this is partly due to Nicholson's performance). When you watch The Shining for the first time, you might wonder if Jack Torrance was already on edge even before his visit to the Overlook Hotel, and if the Overlook merely pushed him over and he finally snaps.
Props should also be given to Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd, who play Wendy and Dan Torrance respectively. For all that Duvall had to go through in order to shape her performance (which is an interesting story of its own), it's hard to imagine that she was once nominated for a Razzie for this, which of course, felt undeserved. Duvall perfectly encapsulates Wendy Torrance's desperation and fear as she witnesses her husband being slowly driven into insanity. Maybe at first viewing, you might feel it's a bit much, but at least it feels raw and genuine. Duvall gives an equally fantastic performance that opposes Nicholson's, making the two play off incredibly well when it comes to the more intense scenes (the staircase scene that was mentioned earlier being one of them). Danny Lloyd was also a standout, despite being a child actor. From his quite demeanor, to his "Tony" voice that gives a ghostly manner ("Danny isn't here right now, Mrs. Torrance.") and his terrified reactions to the horrors of the Overlook, Lloyd's performance is one that simply ties the film altogether.
What makes The Shining an iconic horror film is its unsettling imagery. Stanley Kubrick made what is a vast and glamorous hotel into a claustrophobic death trap with nowhere to hide, and that's only from the visual portrayal of the hotel itself, we haven't even gotten to the ghosts that inhabit the hotel. The way Kubrick does this is by integrating wide shots to establish the monstrous hotel that happens to hold the darkest secrets on earth, one of them being a continuous shot of Danny Torrance whizzing through the hotel corridors on his bike. The Overlook Hotel is a character of its own. It's setting the scene, it's laying the traps, and it's waiting for its prey to succumb to its manipulative wonders. The brilliance of The Shining is its lack of a jumpscare. It doesn't overstay its welcome when it comes to the things that shock, rather it's more reliant on atmosphere, to that dreadful feeling of the inevitable. Whenever a character encounters a ghost, it's either done with a sinister violin screech, or one of its best moments, when it's done through nothing but a visual of the character's reaction, and dead silence in between. It doesn't go overboard with the gore in order to emphasize the creepiness of the hotel, rather it feels like it gives constant warning signals for the audience to follow as if it were leaving clues to a treasure. It's a slow build, but it's one that sure pays off at the very end.
As someone who has read the novel as well, I can see in some ways why Stephen King disliked the adaptation. For starters, the novel does give a deeper dive into Jack's character as a more charismatic figure, whereas the film more or so implies that his dark side was already visible from the moment we see him on screen (and like I said before, as if he's on edge for the first half of the film). Had they perhaps highlighted more of Torrance's charismatic side in the film, we would have had a deeper sense of sympathy. Then there's Wendy, who's given more backstory and depth in the novel than her film counterpart. But the film made the wise choice of grounding the story a little more. Instead of its relying on concrete facts that yes, there is indeed a supernatural force behind all of this, there's also the implication of ambiguity. It implies questions as: are the ghosts of the Overlook Hotel truly real, or are they a figment of Jack Torrance's imagination as to signify his return to alcoholism? Even the simple lines of dialogue, like a line aimed at Jack Torrance, "You are the caretaker. You have always been the caretaker," can lead to various interpretations. The film is much more interested in implying rather than laying out an actual explanation, which is another thing that adds to the film's brilliance. Does it make my love for either King's novel or Kubrick's film adaptation any less? Absolutely not. I love both the novel and the film equally. The novel and film perfectly capture a deep insight into a man who is slowly going insane from an unseen force while his family watches helplessly from the sidelines, and both have different takes on the story.
The Shining is a film that withstands the test of time. Even until now, The Shining is considered one of the best horror films of all time, and for a good reason. It's a Stephen King story at its very best, but Kubrick adds his own take to it. It's pretty much up to the audience's preference on whether or not you like the film or the book better, yet you can't deny that both have their own charms in certain aspects. In the end, The Shining is a character study of a family that is slowly being torn apart. It depicts a father who is doing his best for his family and happens to be a former alcoholic. But then he sees a shelf filled with imaginary ghost booze and he's right back where he started. It also depicts the rest of the family that is affected by the father's descent, of a wife who is unable to prevent her own husband from driving himself into insanity, and of a child with a helpful yet terrifying ability that he is yet to understand. The film may not flesh out every aspect of these characters as much as the novel does, but it at least it gives enough general insight to invest us and sympathize with their struggles. It might not be the scariest horror film out there, but the fact that it deviates from the usual horror cliches such as jumpscares makes it ever the more investing. There's always a dreaded sense that something isn't right, and that things aren't supposed to be what they turned out to be, and the way Kubrick executes this in The Shining is what makes it more effective and unsettling than any jumpscare-reliant horror film today.
Stars: 4.7/5
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers.
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear The Shining? Is it the creepy twins in the hotel corridor? Is it Jack Nicholson's memorable performance? Or is it the ever infamous " Here's Johnny! " scene that has been referenced to death in countless films and TV shows? Whatever it is, there is no doubt that The Shining has some kind of impact in the film industry, whether it is as one of the icons of the horror genre, or an iconic film in general that has been a staple for film lovers for years. Based on the 1977 novel by the master of horror himself, Stephen King, The Shining has cemented itself on the Horror Walk of Fame. In a way, director Stanley Kubrick has made masterpiece that has been remembered for decades, and that's due to the fact that very few films ever got under your skin. The Shining is an unsettling depiction of paranoia and insanity, of a torn family, and of man's downward spiral into madness as he spends months in an isolated hotel with secrets that are yet to come to light.
The Shining begins with recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who accepts a job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, which closes during months of harsh winter. Torrance has a questionable incident that caused him to lose his previous job, so he takes this opportunity to possibly redeem himself and have a bonding moment with his family. And so it goes, his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) accompany him and gets the hotel all to themselves for the coming months. Unbeknownst to both parents, Danny possesses a telepathic ability known as "the shining", in which he is able to enter the minds of others through a "shine" and see premonitions; making him the first to be aware of the hotel's hidden secrets that lurk in its halls. During their stay at the hotel, Jack snags the chance in his time of isolation to chase his dream of becoming a writer by starting his own book. However, things start to escalate when the hotel begins to reveal its inner demons, or the ghosts that inhabit the hotel, hence the twins in the corridor, and the woman in the mysterious Room 237. From there, the hotel begins to influence Jack, which leads to a slow spiral of insanity.
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
From the moment Jack begins his descent, you feel that great sense of dread, of knowing that whatever is coming is inevitable. Part of that is due to Jack Nicholson's incredible performance. Even from the way his eyes immediately bulge out when he snaps, to the calm yet eerie tone, his performance makes you feel that he's slowly succumbing to whatever lurks in the Overlook. There's a particular scene here that is not only one of my favorite scenes in this film, but perhaps one of my favorites in any film ever; and that scene is where Jack stalks Wendy up the stairs saying, "Wendy....darling...light of my life, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna bash your brains. I'm gonna bash them right the fuck in." That scene alone shows you what a masterclass Jack Nicholson is as an actor. However, I will say, upon reading Stephen King's novel soon after, that the novel's depiction of Jack's spiral downfall is a lot more eerie than the film, given that its length gives it enough time to lay things out slowly. But the film does an impressive job of translating some of that on screen (again, this is partly due to Nicholson's performance). When you watch The Shining for the first time, you might wonder if Jack Torrance was already on edge even before his visit to the Overlook Hotel, and if the Overlook merely pushed him over and he finally snaps.
Props should also be given to Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd, who play Wendy and Dan Torrance respectively. For all that Duvall had to go through in order to shape her performance (which is an interesting story of its own), it's hard to imagine that she was once nominated for a Razzie for this, which of course, felt undeserved. Duvall perfectly encapsulates Wendy Torrance's desperation and fear as she witnesses her husband being slowly driven into insanity. Maybe at first viewing, you might feel it's a bit much, but at least it feels raw and genuine. Duvall gives an equally fantastic performance that opposes Nicholson's, making the two play off incredibly well when it comes to the more intense scenes (the staircase scene that was mentioned earlier being one of them). Danny Lloyd was also a standout, despite being a child actor. From his quite demeanor, to his "Tony" voice that gives a ghostly manner ("Danny isn't here right now, Mrs. Torrance.") and his terrified reactions to the horrors of the Overlook, Lloyd's performance is one that simply ties the film altogether.
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
What makes The Shining an iconic horror film is its unsettling imagery. Stanley Kubrick made what is a vast and glamorous hotel into a claustrophobic death trap with nowhere to hide, and that's only from the visual portrayal of the hotel itself, we haven't even gotten to the ghosts that inhabit the hotel. The way Kubrick does this is by integrating wide shots to establish the monstrous hotel that happens to hold the darkest secrets on earth, one of them being a continuous shot of Danny Torrance whizzing through the hotel corridors on his bike. The Overlook Hotel is a character of its own. It's setting the scene, it's laying the traps, and it's waiting for its prey to succumb to its manipulative wonders. The brilliance of The Shining is its lack of a jumpscare. It doesn't overstay its welcome when it comes to the things that shock, rather it's more reliant on atmosphere, to that dreadful feeling of the inevitable. Whenever a character encounters a ghost, it's either done with a sinister violin screech, or one of its best moments, when it's done through nothing but a visual of the character's reaction, and dead silence in between. It doesn't go overboard with the gore in order to emphasize the creepiness of the hotel, rather it feels like it gives constant warning signals for the audience to follow as if it were leaving clues to a treasure. It's a slow build, but it's one that sure pays off at the very end.
As someone who has read the novel as well, I can see in some ways why Stephen King disliked the adaptation. For starters, the novel does give a deeper dive into Jack's character as a more charismatic figure, whereas the film more or so implies that his dark side was already visible from the moment we see him on screen (and like I said before, as if he's on edge for the first half of the film). Had they perhaps highlighted more of Torrance's charismatic side in the film, we would have had a deeper sense of sympathy. Then there's Wendy, who's given more backstory and depth in the novel than her film counterpart. But the film made the wise choice of grounding the story a little more. Instead of its relying on concrete facts that yes, there is indeed a supernatural force behind all of this, there's also the implication of ambiguity. It implies questions as: are the ghosts of the Overlook Hotel truly real, or are they a figment of Jack Torrance's imagination as to signify his return to alcoholism? Even the simple lines of dialogue, like a line aimed at Jack Torrance, "You are the caretaker. You have always been the caretaker," can lead to various interpretations. The film is much more interested in implying rather than laying out an actual explanation, which is another thing that adds to the film's brilliance. Does it make my love for either King's novel or Kubrick's film adaptation any less? Absolutely not. I love both the novel and the film equally. The novel and film perfectly capture a deep insight into a man who is slowly going insane from an unseen force while his family watches helplessly from the sidelines, and both have different takes on the story.
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
The Shining is a film that withstands the test of time. Even until now, The Shining is considered one of the best horror films of all time, and for a good reason. It's a Stephen King story at its very best, but Kubrick adds his own take to it. It's pretty much up to the audience's preference on whether or not you like the film or the book better, yet you can't deny that both have their own charms in certain aspects. In the end, The Shining is a character study of a family that is slowly being torn apart. It depicts a father who is doing his best for his family and happens to be a former alcoholic. But then he sees a shelf filled with imaginary ghost booze and he's right back where he started. It also depicts the rest of the family that is affected by the father's descent, of a wife who is unable to prevent her own husband from driving himself into insanity, and of a child with a helpful yet terrifying ability that he is yet to understand. The film may not flesh out every aspect of these characters as much as the novel does, but it at least it gives enough general insight to invest us and sympathize with their struggles. It might not be the scariest horror film out there, but the fact that it deviates from the usual horror cliches such as jumpscares makes it ever the more investing. There's always a dreaded sense that something isn't right, and that things aren't supposed to be what they turned out to be, and the way Kubrick executes this in The Shining is what makes it more effective and unsettling than any jumpscare-reliant horror film today.
Stars: 4.7/5
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