The Shining(1980)

This movie is probably known to everyone by now. It was directed by Stanley Kubrick and it stars Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.It is based on the novel by Stephen King and whilst it is different in some ways to the book, it is a very entertaining movie and a classic.

Jack Torrance(Nicholson) is at the Overlook Hotel for an interview for the job of caretaker of the hotel during the winter months when the hotel is totally isolated from the outside world. The hotel is built on an ancient Indian burial ground(that means trouble!). Danny, who can see things, has terrible premonitions about the hotel and is reluctant to go there. Jack gets the job and the family uproots and moves to the hotel. They are given a tour of the place. The chef, Dick, speaks telepathically to the youngster and when Danny asks if there is anything to be afraid of, Dick tells him to beware of room 237.



















We cut to a month later and Jack, who is trying to write a novel is not getting very far. Little Danny is still having visions and Wendy is worried. Danny wanders into room 237 and gets hurt. When he finds his parents, Wendy assumes that Jack has hurt him as he had done so year ago when he was drunk. Jack had a dream in which he killed Wendy and Danny and Wendy takes Danny away from Jack. Jack wanders the hotel and comes to the bar which has its own ghost, Lloyd, who pours him a drink. He tells Lloyd about his troubles and then Wendy shows up and apologizes to him for suspecting him of harming their son. She tells him that Danny told her that something in room 237 hurt him. Meanwhile, Dick has a premonition that something is really wrong at the hotel and that there is danger there.



















Jack goes to investigate room 237 and finds a woman there. He argues with his wife over Danny and he ends up in the Gold Room in the hotel which is filled with ghostly guests at a costume party. He meets the former caretaker called Delbert Grady who tells him that he needs to take control of his wife and son. Danny starts to go mental and scribbles the word 'Redrum' all over the walls. He is beginning to go into a trance now. Jack is beginning to lose his sanity now and he cuts off all contact from the outside world. Luckily, Dick heard Danny's telepathic call for help and he is on the way. Wendy finds Jack's manuscript and she reads through it. There is nothing but the line' All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy' typed over and over again. She confronts him and he threatens her. She manages to hit him and lock him in a cupboard, but he is freed by Grady. The most famous scene of the movie comes up when Jack is trying to get to Danny with an axe. He chops through the door, screaming 'Here's Johnny!'. We see that he has lost it and that he has become Grady. There is a cat-and-mouse chase through the hotel and outside.

If you haven't seen the movie, I won't give away the end. This is a favourite of mine for obvious reasons. This is truly a classic and I am going to give it a 10/10.