Adapted from the 1977 horror novel of Stephen King, The Shining is one of the finest masterpiece in the history of movie making and no doubt that this horror movie is regarded as one of the most thrilling and scary movies till today. King did a great job in the novel, but director Stanley Kubrick has put life into the pages of the novel. Few of the horror movies that Kubrick has made only prove that is a genius.

The Shining beings with a story of a family going for a vacation-cum work at a hotel located in an isolated area outside the town. The family consists of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), a novelist, his wife Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd). Jack takes up a winter assignment and also decides to look after of an old, isolated and beautiful Overlook Hotel. The main purpose of going to the hotel is to get an isolated place to think and write his new novel, as the hotel remains close during the winter due to massive snow fall. As the Torrance family moves in, Jack is informed by the hotel manager about several bizarre incidents that took place inside the hotel over a period of time. The previous caretaker Delbert Grady (Philip Stone) had brutally murdered his own family members. Ignoring this fact, Jack stays calm and concentrated more on the job and he feels that the hotel is absolutely safe for his wife Wendy and son Danny. On the very first day of their stay, Danny is warned by the hotel cook not to enter the infamous Room No.237 at any cost. As this horror movie progresses, Danny develops a secret power within himself. He is able to see incidents from the past as well as from the future. Danny begins to see the previous guests and employees of the hotels and how all of them died inside the hotel. Slowly Jack is engulfed in the clutches of insanity and becomes more hostile and aggressive. He becomes violent to his wife and son. Soon Danny and his mom are convinced that Danny is the greatest threat to them. Wendy fears that Jack would repeat the notorious acts of what Grady did couple of years back.

This is a classic horror movie and Kubrick has done a marvelous job. I am extremely impressed by the storyline and tightness of the plot. Each and every moment is this movie is so intense than you will be glued to the screen. Jack Nicholson is as always tremendous. The acting, direction and screenplay are world class. The Shining takes you through an emotional journey of horror and misery and is enough to scare the hell out of you. It does not have any unnecessary violence or sound effects but this horror movie deserves a lot of applause. It is not a very fast movie, you have watch, think and realise what is happening around you. Most of the scenes have been taken care of in a detailed manner. The Shining has some invisible power in it. It is one of my favourite classic horror flicks. It is a movie you must see.

Watch the trailer of The Shining.

My Rating - 9/10

Learn more about the movie on IMDB.

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