A Masterpiece of Modern Horror

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, Joe Trukel, Anne Jackson, Tony Burton

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I'm not gonna hurt ya. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just going to bash your brains in!" - Jack Torrance

Why watch this? The setting at the empty grand hotel, the gigantic snow-covered maze, all creates one hell of an eerie atmosphere.

Plot Summary: Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic, takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. He moves in with his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, who possesses psychic abilities known as "the shining". As a winter storm leaves the family snowbound, the hotel's sinister presence begins to influence Jack, threatening the safety of his family.

Dad's Preview: It took me a while to figure this one out. Jack, a writer, agrees to stay a deserted hotel in Colorado for the winter. He takes along his wife and son. What I realized is that the film, like Jack's sanity, becomes more and more deranged with each passing minute. The visions and apparitions are real in Jack's (and the audience's) mind. The bigger question: is there something manipulating him... something evil. Is he crazy or possessed? Finding out is the point.

The Producer Circle Co., Peregrine Prod., Hawk Films; Warner Bros.