Quartile rating: 8.5/10 · 1 rating
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
Kubrick's The Shining is a landmark of psychological horror distinguished by its meticulous, glacially paced cinematography — the Steadicam tracking shots through the Overlook are iconic and technically revolutionary. Nicholson's unhinged performance and Shelley Duvall's harrowing vulnerability anchor the film emotionally. Its surrealist atmosphere and singular tone make it one of the most distinctive horror films ever made, earning high Novelty. The plot, however, is relatively straightforward in structure (slow descent into madness), and the ending, while striking visually, feels somewhat abrupt and elliptical in a way that satisfies less than the buildup warrants — King famously criticized it for abandoning emotional catharsis.