Blog-o-ween: The Shining

The inevitable outcome of all work and no play.

Though these posts weren't in any particular order, The Shining might just be my favorite horror movie. Not only is it scary in the way that hits me where I live (those tight POV shots over Danny's shoulder as he tricycles around the Overlook's "deserted" hallway corners; creepy kids a plenty; simmering madness that finally boils over; "Redrum"), I think what it has to say about masculinity and the dream of the American West is pretty freaking genius. But that's way too boring for this entry (if you want me to email you my prospectus, I totally will). Let's talk about naked zombie corpses rising from the bathtub, slaughtered sisters who want to play with you "for-EVAH and EVAH and EVAH" and a haunted hotel of horrors that actually includes furries. Though Nicholson is more than happy to turn his hat around and take the final act of the film right over the top, the Grand Guignol-ness of his performance is actually a welcome respite from the psychological terror of the first two-thirds of the movie. I know Stephen King hated the choices Kubrick made in the adaptation, but Uncle Stevie and I will just have to agree to disagree this time. As an aside, the Stanley Hotel (where The Shining was filmed and the inspiration for King's novel after he spent a night there) is about an hour and a half from where I live, and they totally let you stay in room 237. Any takers?