The Shining Thoughts and Observations

Runtime: 146 minutes

Release Date: May 23, 1980

Rating: R

Director: Stanley Kubrick

*Let me preface this by saying that I am not a fan of The Shining, despite the fact that I own a copy. I actually own all of King's movies and all his books except for maybe the two most recent, but I've only actually watched The Shining maybe three times, including this most recent viewing.

*When Jack went into the room and the woman climbed out of the tub naked, some guys next to us started honking their horn like crazy and screaming, “tits!” over and over again. Needless to say, they got pretty quiet when she transformed into the other version of herself.

*I never realized quite how annoying some of the characters are in this movie! Wendy is so meek and whiny that I wanted to just punch her in the head a few times, and Danny is just a complete brat at times.

*The twin girls are oh so creepy, but I remember them being in a lot more scenes. They show up when Danny first arrives at the hotel and only appear maybe two more times, including one scene where they are dead on the ground.

*I'm a much bigger fan of the how the book ends. Jack winds up dying when the boiler in the hotel explodes, and Dick survives to get away with Wendy and Danny. The book also had some pretty cool scenes involving topiary animals that come to life. Kubrick switched the animals to a hedge maze because the animals would cost too much money.

*If you haven't see the television remake, I highly recommend it. It's obviously a lot longer, but it sticks more faithfully to the book and even ends in the same way.

*I scared the piss out of two women in a car a few rows back. They had never seen the movie before and were completely on edge. I was coming back from the bathroom, and they didn't see me until I was right at their window. One literally bounced right out of her seat. It gave me a secret thrill LOL.

*Dick is easily my favorite character in the movie, which is why his death actually made me pretty sad. I wish Kubrick stuck with the book ending.

*The most disturbing scene is probably the one that takes place in the room between Jack and the dead woman. It's far more gruesome than anything that happens to Danny.

*The Shining, like a lot of Kubrick films, goes on way too long. I went to the bathroom twice just because I couldn't handle sitting still for that long, especially given that there were large chunks of the movie where it felt like nothing happened.

Stick around for more thoughts and observations on classic horror films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and People Under the Stairs. Next weekend is a tribute to Wes Craven!