I fist saw ‘The Shining ‘ almost 5 years ago when I was 14 years old after just finishing up the book. I remember trying to compare scenes to the book and making other small comparisons through out watching it, not really paying attention to the production of it. But, I do specifically remember watching the scene where Jack is staring out the window at Wendy and Danny as they are playing in the snow, as the camera zooms in on a very disturbing expression on his face as unsettling music played in the background. This scene made me feel very anxious which I actually admired, because a movie had never been able to give me that kind of feeling before.
The Shining was originally written in 1977 by author Stephen King, four years later the story was brought into production by director and producer Stanley Kubrick. Shortly after the movie premiered, ratings were very high. Reviewers were said to experience “sheer terror” when watching the film, which was only one of many Kubrick’s goals.
Horror films have always been my greatest interest when it comes to movies. Growing up, I was terrified of even commercials that had to do with anything scary, then one day out of nowhere I had this sudden urge to watch anything and everything thriller related. Ever since I saw the revised version of ‘Evil Dead’ in 2013, I’ve been addicted to horror films, I feel like the horror genre just carries a lot of unseen depth within them that not a lot of people realize, and that is why I admire them so much.
After watching The Shining again after four years, I had a lot more appreciation for it, especially after showing more interest in the process of film creating over the past couple years. What I really was in awe over was the acting, not only from famous actors such as Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, but from a very young Danny LLoyd. Child acting can be very complicated, especially when working on a film as intense as The Shining. The fear and anxiety that LLoyd portrayed at such a young age is jaw dropping and deserves a ton of admiration.
Re watching this film was very intense, bringing back all those past emotions. The fear, confusion, anxiety, etc. that these actors portrayed into making such an intense movie is extremely admirable. This movie will forever have a great impact on the way I view and analyze other films. In my opinion, movies that leave you on the edge of your seat and questioning not only the movie, but yourself, are the ones worth watching.
-Natalie Jarvis