"The Shining" (1980)

"The Shining" was a movie I've been desperately been trying to watch this month. There have been so many pop culture references to the two girls, the trike riding boy and of course "Here's Johnny!" phrase that I knew I had to see it. But I've never knew what "The Shining" was all about. Will I be scared out of my mind? Psychologically disturbed? Or just plain bored from the slow pacing of Kubrick's style as a director?

The movie starts with Jack (Jack Nicholson) getting interviewed to be a winter caretaker for a large hotel in Denver. But before Jack can accept the job, the hotel manager warns that the previous caretaker went crazy with a case of the cabin fever. So crazy that he even killed his two daughters and wife. But without hesitation, Jack takes the job as he thinks the solitude will help him write a book he's been working on. But as the family moves in, their son Danny (Danny Lloyd), knows a little secret. 

Danny does a lot of cruising around on his trike.

Right off the bat, I had a complaint. Initially I thought the acting was bad, but in actuality it was the script and editing. The first hour of the movie is very slow, telling me every minute tid bit of information and every monotonous conversation. I didn't so much hate the first hour, it just was real dry and slightly annoying. But it does a good job of covering everyone in the family's back story.

But once the first hour is done, we take a sharp turn and the movie picks up. And so did the hair on my neck, because the score really builds this eerie atmosphere. Every time the high frequency noise gets louder and the suspense builds up, I was tense. The movie really got into my head and even to a point where I dreaded every long empty hallway I saw on film or real life. God I would really hate to live in a mansion after watching this.

Come and play with us. Forever and ever and ever.

Nicholson's performance of Jack was intense to say the least. His slow decent from perfectly sane to "Here's Johhny!" crazy was real subtle but powerful. Now I say subtle because in the midst of the moment some of his action seem to make sense. But at the end of the film, reflect at what he did previously and it's obvious he was on track way before the end.

Now Jack wasn't the only interesting character. His boy Danny also a great character because of his imaginary friend, Tony. This seems innocent enough, but Tony holds some secret powers that is dubbed "The Shining'. He can see the past, the future and even mind read. Also a lot of the more eerie images that are shown on screen, we see in the perspective of Danny. To see a river of blood or blood splattered walls are creepy enough, but to Danny they are all too real.

Here's Johnny! 

The movie switches from the real world to the world of Jack and Danny's mind. The alternate worlds really show off how disturbed each character gets as the movie progresses. And I liked these scenes the most, for several reasons. Not only were they the most interesting but you really got what was going on in the mind of both Jack and Danny. And the thoughts that are shared between them in different ways amp up the creepiness of the situation.

"The Shining" is a strange movie, but an enjoyable one. While the first hour is boring but necessary, the rest of the movie is packed with great scary scenes. And incorporating every scary scene are some menacing background music that really creep me out. This psychotic thriller really made me appreciate how great of an actor Jack Nicholson can be, and how great The Simpsons Tree House of Horror V is.