Welcome to Movie Monday! Each week we will look at a movie either in theaters or available to stream by a major streamer. We will briefly review the movie, and tell you why it is enjoyable. This isn’t meant to be a detailed criticism, rather, a celebration of why a movie is entertaining or worth the watch. We will typically avoid spoilers, but if there are any, we will denote that clearly before it appears in the review. This month, in honor of the month of October, we’ll look at new and old horror movies. Next up, we’ll look at another classic: The Shining.
Like last week, there’s not much I can add to the great legacy that a movie like The Shining leaves, but it’s worth attempting to sum up from time to time. The eerie feeling that is present from the very beginning at the hotel, the chase through the maze in the snow, and of course, the famous bathroom scene create one of the most memorable settings in horror all within in one mountainside property.
When a movie creates a scene so memorable that movies in the years after time and time again pay homage to it, you know you have an all timer. Here’s Johnny indeed when it comes to the many recreations of that bathroom scene over the years. Jack Nicholson is of course legendary in his role as Jack Torrence, the hotel’s caretaker. The slow descent to madness is methodical and startling, and leaves a chill as the viewer picks up on his madness before his family fully grasps it.
Horror movies sometimes prey on jump scares or a killer stalking its’ next victim. But The Shining masters the uneasy feeling of someone losing their mind, and how it affects those around them. It masters the uneasiness in being secluded from the outside world, and it masters the psychology behind it all. Where The Shining really shines, is the demonstration of someone going insane, and the long unstoppable slide that follows with nothing but chaos and madness.
The Shining is currently streaming on AMC +, HBO Max, and the Disney/Hulu bundle.
