The Shining
Directed by Stanley KubrickA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter, where a sinister presence influences the father into violence. At the same time, his psychic son sees horrifying forebodings from both the past and the future.
The Shining Ratings & Reviews
- Eric BakkeOctober 9, 2024Sanity slowly deteriorates in the most disturbing ways. It's terrifying without having to rely on jump scares and gore, leaving viewers on edge and deeply unsettled. Although The Shining has it's flaws, in my opinion, it's the greatest horror film ever made.
- Sun KingDecember 15, 2025Stanley Kubrick best movie.
- Tom MajskiDecember 15, 2025I finally got to see this in the cinema and what a treat! The Shining is, simply put, one of the great horror movies of all time, despite what Stephen King things of it. The tale of the Torrences tenure at the Overlook Hotel is incredibly gripping from the very first scene. There is a wonderful tension within the family created by Nicholson's Jack. From the initial drive up to the hotel right down to the awkwardness of the interview there is a compounding sense of dread for the entire movie. The performances by Nicholson and Duvall are second to none. This is very much a movie with 2 equal leads. I've genuinly never seen terror like that on the face of Shelly Duvall throughout this movie. A woman losing all sense of safety for her and her child as her husband unravels into a dreanged monster. A monster we all have a glimpse of from the start (hence King's dislike of the movie). Add Kubrick's signature flair in cinematography and presentation as well as slight surrealism and you truly have one of the great cinematic works of all time.
- The Gutter MonkeyMarch 23, 2025For me, it’s the quintessential horror movie. I could play it forever... and ever... and ever... 🪓
- 0 1December 8, 2025One of the greatest Horror films
- Michael SurberMay 7, 2025Yet another instance where the book was better. So much better. Admittedly, very few of King's novels have gotten close to a decent film adaptation and King himself hated this one. Kubrick still produced a masterpiece but it fails to match the level of King's original horror. Tons of classic scenes that are guaranteed to chill viewers though, especially the scenes with Danny alone in the hotel. Truthfully, I preferred the sequel, Doctor Sleep. Now THAT was a great film!
- Terrence MartineauDecember 6, 2025Classic… love it!
- darsanMay 25, 2025"here's johnny!" u gotta love the creepy performance by jack nicholson 😂😂
- JennaVerstraetenNovember 7, 2025What's not to love, it's a good old fashioned tale of a man going insane and trying to murder his family with an axe.
- AngusMcNutzDecember 5, 2025Yeah, yeah, the book is better, I know. ...Still. This is simultaneously a very comfy and very stressful movie; great if you want to gawk at Kubrick composition, try to parse your own version of what's happening story wise or just admire how cute Shelly Duvall is in every shot she's in. I really like Shelly Duvall.
- Patrick and NancyApril 1, 2025Flawless. Everyone at the top of their game. Easily rewatchable. Day or night.
- William GalanNovember 22, 2025Watching this movie after the events of Welcome to Derry is something different
- andy bOctober 30, 2025white mans burden lloyd my man white mans burden
- tmmzhOctober 30, 2025Very interesting. As someone who is watching this in 2025, that has never seen this before. I would say that it holds up. The movie seems very open to interpretation. Like... you can draw whatever conclusions you would like. I never read the book, so I do not know how much it differs. But I really toyed it. the cinematography and music, and tone, are fantastic.
- johnr339October 19, 2025The Shining is one of those movies that people still whisper about forty years later—partly because it’s terrifying, and partly because no one is entirely sure what it’s about. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel has become a cultural landmark, equal parts horror, art film, and fever dream of interior design. Shelley Duvall gives a stunning performance as Wendy Torrance, the exhausted wife and mother trapped in a snowbound hotel with her increasingly deranged husband and psychic child. You can practically feel her anxiety radiating off the screen. She spends most of the movie clutching a bat and screaming, but somehow manages to make it heartbreakingly human instead of hysterical. If anyone deserved a vacation after this movie, it was Shelley Duvall. Jack Nicholson, meanwhile, starts the film looking like a man who’s already on the verge of turning into a meme. There’s supposed to be a descent into madness, but Jack begins the movie halfway down the staircase. Whether that’s Kubrick’s choice or just Jack being Jack is anyone’s guess, but he’s a perfect storm of charm and menace—a guy you’d invite over for drinks but not trust near an axe. Kubrick’s use of color and composition is, of course, immaculate. Every frame is a painting—reds that scream danger, greens that hum unease, and snow so white it practically blinds you. No one in film history has ever made carpet look this iconic. Kubrick’s eye for visual detail was unmatched; the man could make a hallway more unsettling than most directors could make a murder. Where The Shining wobbles a bit is in the pacing. There are stretches that feel like Kubrick just couldn’t bear to stop filming his own set. The entire Scatman Crothers-in-Florida sequence, for example, feels like a strange detour into a vacation slideshow. The camera pans lovingly over two paintings of naked women, lingers far too long, and makes you wonder if Kubrick was already storyboarding Eyes Wide Shut. None of it adds to the tension or the story, but it’s a great reminder that even geniuses can get distracted by art—or at least by interesting wall décor. Still, The Shining is a masterpiece of mood, sound, and slow-burning dread. Its flaws only make it more fascinating. Kubrick didn’t just make a horror film; he made a two-hour panic attack wrapped in perfect cinematography. It’s cold, unnerving, and strangely beautiful—like being trapped in an art museum that really doesn’t want you there.
The Shining Trivia
The Shining was released on May 23, 1980.
The Shining was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
The Shining has a runtime of 2 hr 23 min.
The Shining was produced by Stanley Kubrick.
The key characters in The Shining are Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall), Danny (Danny Lloyd).
The Shining is rated R.
The Shining is a Horror, Thriller, Drama film.
The Shining has an audience rating of 9.3 out of 10.