The Shining

release year: 1980
genre: horror
viewing setting: home DVD, 11/1/08

synopsis: A family spends the winter taking care of an empty hotel...but the hotel is haunted and slowly drives the father to insanity and beyond.

impressions: Pretty good descent into madness. Jack seems a little off to begin with, but the hotel gradually pushes him to homicidal madness. There are some differences from the book this was based on (particularly at the end, where it seems that some things were predestined to happen.)

something this movie has that no other movie has: A wave of blood flowing down the hallway.

acting: Jack Nicholson is Jack Torrance, whose unstable nature makes him easy prey for the ghosts and such in the haunted hotel. Shelley Duvall is his wife, who fails to see what's happening but finally must do something or die. Danny Lloyd is their creepy but precognitive son whose imaginary friend has a lot to say. Scatman Crothers is the cook who realizes that something's wrong with the hotel.

final word: Slightly quirky but stil creepy classic suspense/horror film.

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