A Horror Masterpiece: The Shining
Movie: The Shining
Genre: Suspense/Horror
Year: 1980
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd
Snapshot of Story:
Jack Torrance played by Jack Nicholson has been hired to be a caretaker for the closing winter season of a big lodge along with his wife Wendy Torrance played by Shelley Duvall and their young son Danny played by Danny Lloyd. Upon arriving at the lodge, Jack becomes possessed by the evil ghosts of the past and tries to kill his wife and child. The movie is based on the book by Stephen King.
Storyline:
Stanley Kubrick’s direction of this movie is clearly evident by the way he creates a haunting atmoshpere in and around the lodge. Jack becomes mentally ill and the great acting of Nicholson makes you become immersed and you began to step into his shoes as he goes through the phases of psychoticness. Shelley Duvall gives a terrific performance as the mother in plight desperately trying to protect herself and the child from the changing beastling emanating from Jack.
The stunning photography of the scenes through the maze when Jack tries to pursue Danny is very cleverly executed and keeps the audience captivated. Wendy’s quick thinking and improvisation is clearly evident despite the horrific events happening all around her.
Another memorable part of the movie is when Danny continuously murmers ‘red rum’ and the audience comes to learn of its meaning when we see the words written backwards in a reflection of the dressing table mirror. The words spelt backwords is ‘mur der’.
Final Thoughts:
Movies of the horror genre have to be carefully crafted in the early days when special effects were not that advanced. Nowdays, horror movies tend to have a mix of special effects and much gore but the real horror movies are the ones that captures the audience and plays with their emotions. This is maybe why the Paranormal Activity series has done so well in the box office as it is something people can relate to easily since it is filmed in a typical family household. The great directors of our time uses a blend of camera techniques and sets to create the haunting presence that manages to keep the audience glued to the screen.
Rating:
8/10
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