The Shining (1980)

The Shining is a slow-burning psychological horror about isolation, family breakdown, and the uncanny. Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic, takes a winter caretaker job at the vast, snowbound Overlook Hotel and brings his wife Wendy and young son Danny, who possesses a psychic gift called “the shining.” As the empty hotel closes in around them, strange visions, eerie echoes of the past, and a sinister presence begin to erode Jack’s sanity. Danny’s foreboding glimpses—most famously tied to the off-limits Room 237—and warnings from the hotel chef escalate the tension until the family is trapped in a terrifying struggle for survival. If you watch this film you’ll experience: - A mounting sense of dread and claustrophobia rather than overt jump scares—tension built through atmosphere, pacing, and unsettling imagery. - Haunting, memorable visuals and sound that make the Overlook feel like a living, malevolent character. - An intense, character-driven descent into madness and the blurring of supernatural and psychological explanations. - Moments of shocking violence and a chilling, ambiguous finale that lingers after the credits. Content note: mature themes, strong psychological horror, and scenes of violence and peril.

Actors: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Runtime: 146 min

Genres: Drama, Horror

8.2 /10 68 /100 8.4 /10 7.8 /10