My True Thought on The Shining

As a member of the Metropolitan Business Academy Film Club, I watch movies every Wednesday and review their premise and overall plot. For the majority of the year the group usually has a common consensus of the movie, either being extraordinary or distasteful. This all goes out the window when it comes to The Shining, a Kubrick cult classic created in May 23, 1980.

Falling into both the Horror and Suspense genres The Shining is regarded one of the scariest movies of all time. Unfortunately, I strongly  disagree and [hold] suggest the opposite opinion on the movie. Not only do I dislike The Shining, but I feel as a horror movie it should be seen as one of the worst. Our movie goes from a healthy and normal family of three, turning into a crazy and dysfunctional madhouse in the span of a few months after living in a supposed cursed hotel. This is one of my big grievances with the movie, the pacing changes constantly with little explanation or addressing.  For example, in the movie Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) is first given the Shining by Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers) [Scatman has the 'shining', but Danny actually acquired the shining after his father drunkenly dislocated his shoulder], they don't say how he acquired it himself or they extent to the mind connection. Another example is how the wife (Shelly Duval) l finds it hard to believe that there was no women in the rooms upstairs [this is confusing], even though the entire hotel had been vacated prior to their arrival. Not to mention Danny having a history of trouble due to his sort of imaginary friend Tony (which is never explained thoroughly either [not true].

The biggest problem I have with The Shining, comes in the form of Shelly Duvall as Wendy Torrance. Never have I hated a character so much to the point of vomit before, but she came very close to achieving this. Every scene she is in leaves a bad taste in my mouth, from her constant whining to her swinging of a bat. In horror movies you should want the heroine to survive and tell the tale, this movie made me want Jack to kill her and Danny before dacing on their dead corpses. In conclusion, not only do I consider the Shining a completely overrated movie, but a insult to the horror genre. I jumped more in Insidious 2 than I did in this movie, and I slept through most of that film. My final thoughts, anytime you feel like watching a scary yet thrilling Stanley Kubrick movie, find his masterpiece A Clockwork Orange. As far as I’m concerned, you can through this in a trash bin with A.I and set both films ablaze, because I honestly wouldn’t pay for either one.