The Shining (1980)

A recovering alcoholic (Jack Nicholson), his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd) move into the historic but secluded Overlook Hotel in the Colorado mountains where he will work as the hotel's caretaker during the winter months when the hotel is closed and snowed in. His son has an imaginary friend who lives in his mouth and does a bad Linda Blair imitation. In the ensuing lonely months, the father begins to mentally unravel as the hotel's deadly past influences his behavior. Based on the novel by Stephen King (who dislikes the film) and directed by Stanley Kubrick. King's novel is one of the greatest horror novels ever written. Alas, Kubrick's film version is one of the great disappointments. Kubrick has no feel for horror, there isn't a genuine moment (well, maybe one) of horror or dread in the entire film. Kubrick goes through the motions mechanically, he may have gallons of blood sloshing its way through the hotel's corridors but it's bloodless horror film. The film was screwed by the casting of Nicholson in the lead. Instead of going from A and building up to Z in his descent into madness, Nicholson starts off at W and gets to Z before the film is halfway through and paints himself into a corner, he has nowhere else to go. Nicholson's devilish grin and arched eyebrows worked marvelously in WITCHES OF EASTWICK (one of his very best performances) but EASTWICK was a comedy. THE SHINING isn't (at least intentionally) and Nicholson induces giggles, not terror. Joe Turkel in a low keyed performance as a bartender evokes a genuine sense of menace that all of Nicholson's hysterics can't. I also found it disturbing that Kubrick felt it necessary to kill off the movie's only major black character (he survives in the book). Is there anything worthwhile here? Well, the art direction is gorgeous, the interiors of the hotel are a cinematographer's dream as the Steadicam glides it way around it. And then there's Shelley Duvall in a near amazing performance. There is no horror in the film for an audience but Duvall's performance lets us feel her terror and the only emotions the film drew from me was my concern for her safety. With Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Anne Jackson and Barry Dennen.