The Shining
1980
*****
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nlelson, Philip Stone, Anne Jackson, Tony Burton
A writer takes a job as a winter caretaker in an isolated hotel in the Rocky Mountains. He is joined by his wife and young son Danny, who sees visions of the hotel's grim past. Stanley Kubrick's brilliant psychological horror film is loosely based on Stephen King's novel. Jack Nicholson gradually goes insane in one of his most iconic roles. But what is it all about? Room 237 offers an enjoyably wacky analysis of the meaning. John Alcott's stunning Steadycam camerawork has stood the test of time, and so has the haunting score by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind. Followed by Doctor Sleep (2019).