Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is less an adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel than a complete reimagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretaker and provokes him to murderous rage against his wife and young son. Kubrick's movie is an existential Road Runner cartoon (his steadicam scurrying through the hotel's labyrinthine hallways), in which the cavernously empty spaces inside the Overlook mirror the emptiness in the soul of the blocked writer, who's settled in for a long winter's hibernation. As many have pointed out, King's protagonist goes mad, but Kubrick's Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is Looney Tunes from the moment we meet him--all arching eyebrows and mischievous grin. (Both Nicholson and Shelley Duvall reach new levels of hysteria in their performances, driven to extremes by the director's fanatical demands for take after take after take.) The Shining is terrifying--but not in the way fans of the novel might expect. When it was redone as a TV miniseries (reportedly because of King's dissatisfaction with the Kubrick film), the famous topiary-animal attack (which was deemed impossible to film in 1980) was there--but the deeper horror was lost. Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide... --Jim Emerson

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is less an adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel than a complete reimagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretaker and provokes him to murderous rage against his wife and young son. Kubrick's movie is an existential Road Runner cartoon (his steadicam scurrying through the hotel's labyrinthine hallways), in which the cavernously empty spaces inside the Overlook mirror the emptiness in the soul of the blocked writer, who's settled in for a long winter's hibernation. As many have pointed out, King's protagonist goes mad, but Kubrick's Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is Looney Tunes from the moment we meet him--all arching eyebrows and mischievous grin. (Both Nicholson and Shelley Duvall reach new levels of hysteria in their performances, driven to extremes by the director's fanatical demands for take after take after take.) The Shining is terrifying--but not in the way fans of the novel might expect. When it was redone as a TV miniseries (reportedly because of King's dissatisfaction with the Kubrick film), the famous topiary-animal attack (which was deemed impossible to film in 1980) was there--but the deeper horror was lost. Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide... --Jim Emerson

?Heeeeere?s Johnny!? In a macabre masterpiece adapted from Stephen King?s novel, Jack Nicholson falls prey to forces haunting a snowbound mountain resort with a macabre history.

This of course is an older movie but still one of Nicholsons best.This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.

There's so much to say about this HORROR CLASSIC "THE SHINING"! Specially for Mr. Jack Nicholson's great performance - Chilling, disturbing and REALLY SCARY!! I have seen this movie over and over again since it's release in 1980 and every time I watch it I discover new layers and levels of psychological horror in the way Mr. Nicholson gradually descends into madness until the very end when he tries to CHOP HIS FAMILY TO PIECES!! Then the ghostly apparitions - THE DEAD TWINS inviting little Danny to "COME AND PLAY FOR EVER, AND EVER AND EVER"!!
JUST WRITING THIS REVIEW GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS! And of course all the supporting cast is excellent too! - Ms. Shelley Duval and Mr. Danny Lloyd must have been scared to death! This is a great issue of this movie for a great price for 2 disc set and in widescreen transfer for the first time ever! I can honestly say there are 2 TOP WACKOS in the history of Hollywood movies: NORMAN BATES (Mr. Anthony Perkins) and JACK TORRANCE (Mr. Nicholson) AND BOTH LIVE "FOR EVER, AND EVER AND EVER" for true horror fans like myself!! DO NOT MISS "THE SHINING"!! THANK YOU MR. STANLEY KUBRICK!!!

'The Shining',where would we be without Stanley Kubrick's distorted version of Stephen King's classic novel?the horror industry would be at a standstill.This is my absolute favorite of horror-films,it's a very dark film indeed.Believe it or not,this film is not much like the novel the one made for TV in early 2000 had more elements from the book not mentioned in the 1980 version-which actually works for me:)kubrick unlocked the darkest doors to his imagination when he made this film.Everything from the creepy little twins,to the Timberline Lodge Hotel(shown as the Overlook Hotel in the movie).Down to the old song you hear in the ballroom which was written in the 20's or 30's by Ray Noble and his Mayfair Dance Orchestra and the eerie film score by Wendy Carlos.There's not too many people who haven't seen this film and i've never met someone who didn't like it.If you've never seen this film shame on you for calling yourself a fan of Horror Movies and go buy this film!

When this came out on DVD, I gave it another shot, after not being too impressed with the VHS the first time. Wow, what a difference!, Now, the Blu-Ray is out and now the film has taken another giant leap. It makes the other versions look primitive.

On its own - and I'm not a horror movie buff - I found it to be very entertaining and very suspenseful film. Those visuals are so good that I didn't mind the slow pace. Jack Nicholson was perfect for the role. Shelley Duvall was fascinating with her "Olive Oyl" face, smile and soft voice. She got panned by a lot of people, and that was unfair. She's fine. The kid (Danny Lloyd) was good, too, as were the supporting players.

If you are any kind of a fan of this film, or director Stanley Kubrick's unique style of filmmaking, you owe it to yourself to look at it on this high-definition transfer. You'll be amazed how great it looks.

Another generation loves this movie! I bought this as a surprise for my daughter and her friends for a Halloween sleepover; all the girls loved this thriller!