The Shining (1980)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stephen King (novel)
Stanley Kubrick (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 May 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The tide of terror that swept America IS HERE[UK Poster]

Plot:

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Caretaker | Ghost | Insanity | Colorado

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Jack Torrance
Shelley Duvall	...	Wendy Torrance
Danny Lloyd	...	Danny Torrance
Scatman Crothers	...	Dick Hallorann
Barry Nelson	...	Stuart Ullman
Philip Stone	...	Delbert Grady
Joe Turkel	...	Lloyd the Bartender
Anne Jackson	...	Doctor
Tony Burton	...	Larry Durkin
Lia Beldam	...	Young Woman in Bath
Billie Gibson	...	Old Woman in Bath
Barry Dennen	...	Bill Watson
David Baxt	...	Forest Ranger #1
Manning Redwood	...	Forest Ranger #2
Lisa Burns	...	Grady Twin Daughter

Also Known As:

Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining'
El resplandor (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Shining (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
яХЪЧЫХИ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
Isijavanje (Serbia) [sr]
L'enfant lumière (Canada: French title) [fr]
La resplendor (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Lsnienie (Poland) [pl]
O Iluminado (Brazil) [pt]
Ondskabens hotel (Denmark) [da]
Ondskapens hotell (Norway) [no]
Ragyogás (Hungary) [hu]
Shining (Italy) [it]
Shining (France) [fr]
Shining (Hungary) [hu]
Shining: L'enfant lumière (Canada: French title) [fr]
Surmahotell (Estonia) [et]
The shining - hohto (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

142 min (cut) | 119 min (cut) (European version) | 146 min (original version)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Spain:13 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (re-rating) (2007) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Brazil:14 | Ireland:15 (re-rating) (2007) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2007) | Denmark:15 (DVD rating) | Denmark:16 (video rating) | Malaysia:U | USA:R (Rated R for intense sequences of violence and terror, language, and graphic nudity) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Canada:18+ (Québec) | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (DVD rating) (2004) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Philippines:X | Japan:R-15 | USA:R | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

During the making of the movie, Stanley Kubrick would occasionally call Stephen King at 3:00 a.m. and ask him questions like "Do you believe in God?"

Goofs:

Continuity: During Hallorann's phone conversation with Larry, his scarf changes positions from being inside his coat to outside, and then back inside.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jack Torrance: Hi, I've got an appointment with Mr. Ullman. My name is Jack Torrance.

Movie Connections:

References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Soundtrack:

Polymorphia

One of the scariest movies ever---8/10

I was never a big fan of horror movies. They usually try cheap tricks to scare their audiences like loud noises and creepy children. They usually lack originality and contain overacting galore. The only horror movie i like was Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon. It was well-acted, and had a great story. But it has been joined and maybe even surpassed by Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, quite possibly the scariest movie ever.

The movie follows a writer (Jack Nicholson) and his family who agree to watch over a hotel while it is closed for the winter. There were rumors of the place being haunted and the last resident went crazy and murdered his family. But Jack is convinced it will be OK and he can use the quiet to overcome his writer's block. After months of solitude and silence however, Jack becomes a grumpy and later violent. Is it cabin fever or is there something in the hotel that is driving him mad?

One of the creepiest parts about the movie is the feeling of isolation that Kubrick makes. The hotel is very silent, and the rooms are huge, yet always empty. It is also eerily calm when Jack's son is riding his bike through the barren hallways. Jack Nicholson's performance is also one of his very best, scaring the hell out of me and making me sure to get out once in awhile. My favorite scene is when he is talking to a ghost from inside a walk-in refrigerator.

The Shining is tops for horror movies in my opinion, beating the snot out of crap like the Ring and The Blair Witch Project. It may be a oldie, but is definitely a goodie. 8/10