Cast:
Jack Nicholson…..Jack Torrance
Shelley Duvall…Wendy Torrance
Danny Lloyd…....Danny Torrance
Scatman Crothers………Halloran
Barry Nelson……………...Ullman
Philip Stone………………..Grady

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Stanley Kubrick and Diane Johnson
Based On The Novel By: Stephen King
Producer: Stanley Kubrick
Tagline: ”Here’s Johnny!”
Rated: R
Runtime: 144 Minutes

Plot: Jack Torrance goes to an isolated Overlook Hotel as an off-season caretaker. His wife Wendy and son Danny go with him. Jack has never been to the hotel before…or so he thinks. As Jack slowly goes crazier and crazier, the answers of the strange hotel are revealed in a ghostly time warp of madness and murder.

Acting: Jack Nicholson. There’s your acting. His performance was truly haunting, and I couldn’t have imagined another man to play his role. You could tell from the moment the movie started that this guy is what this movie was all about. In fact, if everyone else in the movie were just awful at their acting, this movie would still be great just for his performance. This is Jack Nicholson’s signature role. Anyway, now that good ole Jack is out of the way, I can bring in the co-stars. Shelley Duvall did great as Wendy. She is very creepy looking to me. With Jack being married to the woman, no wonder he went crazy… As for Danny, Danny Lloyd did a good job as Jack’s son. I really liked how the kid looked when he was scared or worried. Creepy to me. Anyway, great acting from everyone.  Overall: 10 Out Of 10

Directing: Well, the best way to say this is that The Shining is Stanley Kubrick’s best film. So what if people don’t agree with me, I think it’s a fact. Kubrick was the perfect choice to direct this film. In fact, he wrote some of the script, so kudos to him as well, since the movie was good and all… Anyway, I actually picked out a favorite scene. The scene where Jack is axing the bathroom door and the camera is right in front of the small crack that was being axed. It was very affective. It looked great. Nice camera angles throughout the film too. Anyway, great directing from Mr. Kubrick. Overall: 8 Out Of 10

Music: I am actually a big fan of the score. Herbert Von Karajan did an excellent job composing the creepy music for the film. At times, it was soft and quiet, and when something chaotic was happening, the music was fast, loud, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was intense, and that why I’m giving it this score: Overall: 9 Out Of 10

Atmosphere/Setting: An isolated Overlook Hotel…winter…out in the middle of nowhere. What better setting could you possibly ask for! And another thing that added to the film was the freaking size of that hotel! You could fit an army in that thing! It was huge! Which also makes it very freaky, in my opinion, because you never know where someone could be in such a big place…you know, someone with an axe…someone who goes around screaming, “Here’s Johnny!” Hee Hee, I think you get the picture. Also, towards the end of the film, there is a scene involving a rather large maze. It was covered in snow, dark, and around every corner was a dead end. One wrong move and you could have been axed to death. Creepy setting and atmosphere. Overall: 8 Out Of 10

Violence/Gore: From what I remember, The Shining didn’t have any gore, but I will tell you this much – it had a lot of freaking blood! One scene probably had more than doubled the bed scene in A Nightmare On Elm Street! Do you realize how much blood that is!? Anyway, besides that one bloody scene, there was a lot of violence. I mean, come on, a dad going around with an axe? You know there’s gonna be some disturbing violence. And that’s exactly what this movie has to offer. A crapload of violence to please the sick-minded. In my opinion, this movie is not for the faint of heart. Overall: 8 Out Of 10

Scare Factor: I wouldn’t exactly call this movie scary, because I personally don’t feel it was intended to be scary. I think it aimed for more of disturbing the audience rather than scaring it. But although I don’t feel that it was its main goal, it did scare me! Two scenes, to be exact, really freaked me out. One of the scenes gave me nightmares, and sometimes that’s a good thing. That scene involved a woman and a bathtub. Those who have seen it know exactly what I’m talking about. The other scene, which I find more disturbing than scary, had two twin girls standing side by side in the hallway, and suddenly, a flashback, showing the two girls on the floor, dead – murdered. Very disturbing. Overall: 7 Out Of 10

Overall Review: This is another one of the great movies to come out of the 80’s. It’s scary, smart, stylish, and completely disturbing. It definitely will keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. And if they aren’t on the edge of their seat, they’ve left the room in panic. Okay, okay, that’s a little far-fetched, but still, the point is that this is a great film, and I recommend it to anyone!

”The First Epic Horror Film.” – Jack Kroll, Newsweek

Favorite Lines:
”Here’s Johnny!”
“Great Party, Isn’t It?”
“Come And Play.”

Overall: 8 Out Of 10