The Shining (1980) *****

Stephen King's 1977 novel The Shining is among his best, and the film adaptation is, for my money, THE best adaptation of a King novel, ever. Stanley Kubrick is a famous director, but not a particularly prolific one. I was surprised to find that his IMDB.com entry for films he has directed only contains 13 feature films, over a 46-year career. The story goes that Kubrick passed on the chance to direct “The Exorcist,” which, of course, went on to become a financial success and one the greatest horror films ever. Smarting from that mistake, Kubrick was eager to do his own horror movie. After separating the wheat from the chaff, he finally settled on “The Shining.”

It's a tale of a family falling apart. Jack Torrance takes a job as the winter caretaker of a mountain resort, the Overlook Hotel. He and his family will be snowed in and stuck there for the winter, but that is just fine with Jack. A recovering alcoholic, he hopes to restart his life and get back to his writing. 5-year-old Danny gets glimpses of the future, which have told him to be afraid of the Overlook, while his mom, Wendy, is just trying to hold the family together. As winter sets in at the hotel, Danny begins seeing horrifying visions, while Jack is losing his mind.

Stephen King has created a lot of monsters over the years, and most of them are human. He explores the supernatural, but central to most of his stories is the idea that the greatest evil in this world lives in the human heart. Even in stories like “It,” where there is clearly a supernatural being, they usually recruit human helpers, who are only too easy to enlist in evil deeds. This is never more true than in “The Shining.” As Danny sees ghosts, and Jack becomes increasingly irritable, we are left wondering if they are under a supernatural influence, or if we are simply seeing the horror of mental illness.

It almost feels silly to try to list the virtues of “The Shining.” The film is visually arresting, including beautiful views of the snow-covered Rockies, the hotel's hedge maze, and, of course, the hotel itself. The interior is a character in itself, including some very snazzy-looking carpet. An example of the outstanding cinematography occurs in the notorious room 237. We have been led to expect there will be someone (or something) there. As Jack approaches the bathroom, we can see that the translucent shower curtain is partly drawn, and there is just the hint (or is there?) of a shape behind that curtain. While your eyes are feasting on all this, the film's score keeps you on the edge of your seat, without resorting to the use of jump scares.

I would hold that the performances are excellent, although there has always been debate on that topic. Stephen King was not pleased with the casting of Jack Nicholson. The Jack Torrance of the novel is an ordinary person with a drinking problem and a little bit of a temper. His impending psychosis is a very gradual and shocking process. With Jack Nicholson's manic persona, we are just waiting for Jack Torrance to start going nuts. It's a memorable performance, and I think a good one, but I can see why King wanted someone more restrained, like Martin Sheen.

I was not bullish on Shelley Duvall the first time I saw the film. She spends a lot of time screaming in terror, and I found her character weak and annoying. Also, her lank hair and sexless clothing make her hard to look at. (The Wendy of the novel is a stronger and more attractive character.) On a second viewing, however, I feel I judged the actress and the character too harshly. Wendy is a sweet girl just trying to keep her family happy. In the end, the fact that she keeps fighting to protect Danny despite being absolutely scared out of her mind should be viewed as a sign of strength.

Other casting choices are less controversial. Scatman Crothers is so charming you just want to take him home! He plays the hotel chef, who explains to Danny that his ability to see the future is called “the shine,” and warns Danny away from room 237. As for Danny, child actor Danny Lloyd is stellar. Oddly enough, he did not go on to have much of an acting career, but his performance in “The Shining” could not be improved upon.

There are lots of movies that run well over 2 hours, and most of them, even the good ones, could stand to be about 30 minutes shorter. Not “The Shining.” Stanley Kubrick makes good use of every minute, building the dread and the horror slowly. This is after all, a story of a regular guy losing his mind, and it just isn't believable if it happens all at once. Most horror films are in a rush to get to the nasty stuff, like a porno where the bored housewife answers the door for the UPS guy, and next thing you know, everybody is naked. “The Shining” is not in a rush. It wines you and dines you and introduces you to its parents, so when the horror comes, you are good and ready for it. If the film feels long at all, it is not because of excess scenes, but because of the exhausting level of dread and slowly-building horror. You can simply feel the stress hormones pumping while you are sitting on your couch, but then, that's what horror movies are for!

5 stars out of 5