The Shining (Directed by Stanley Kubrick) 1980

Arguably the greatest horror film of all time in many critics and fans' eyes, and who am I to argue. 'The Shining' takes the premise of the 'haunted house' movie to new shocking levels of fright as Jack Nicholson stars as writer Jack Torrance who, along with his wife Wendy (Shelly Duvall) decides to take a job as an off-season caretaker at an ominously large hotel during a harsh winter. Along with their son, Danny, the family settle in to the Overlook Hotel not realising it is on fact built on the site of a Native American burial ground and that during the terrible winter months the hotel often becomes shut off from the outside world due to the severe snow.

This of course means that tormented author Jack is pretty much left to his typewriter and his thoughts whilst his son is left to wander to empty, icy corridors of the building and due to his ESP qualities starts to foresee tragic events at the hotel whilst encountering some seriously eerie apparitions, including two young girls of gaunt complexion and flowing blood. Jack too becomes tormented by the isolation of the setting and also starts to have bizarre encounters, and begins a slow descent into insanity where he attempts to murder his family.

'The Shining' I so much more than a horror film and even without its plethora of oddities which have become soaked into the walls of the hotel, the atmosphere alone of the setting is enough to give anyone goose bumps, and with Nicholson giving one of the performances of his life, this movie makes for quite chilling viewing with the movie featuring several scenes which have been considered 'classic' over the years.

Although Stephen King, who wrote the original novel, wasn't best pleased with Kubrick's interpretation of the tale, this is without doubt one of the great five horror movies to ever grace our screens, and whatever flaws it may have I condemn anyone who sits through such a film and isn't moved by its supernatural power.