Ask JKM a Question: Is The Shining (1980) really one of the scariest movies ever made?

A regular reader, Trent, writes:

“I've seen hundreds of horror films and I am continually surprised to find that Kubrick's 'The Shining' is consistently on the scariest horror films list.

Now let me qualify that by saying that I believe Kubrick's film is a masterpiece. It is the most beautifully-shot horror film in history, the product of a master manipulator of both the camera, and the audience, at the peak of his powers. The opening sequence alone told you that this was going to be a special film. And the tracking shot of Danny Torrance on the big wheel is film school material.

That notwithstanding, while I find the film mesmerizing, I did not find it to be scary....at all. I found more scares present in 1980's 'The Changeling'. I thought Nicholson was too Nicholson-esque from the very first shot. That the relationship between Duvall and Nicholson was emotionally cold, robbing the film of the emotional wallop of the events to come. And that Kubrick ultimately did not understand horror and what made films scary.

Ultimately I believe that the high ranking of Kubrick's film is more the product of the film-goers low expectations and easy dismissal of horror films. That the stunning visuals, masterful direction, (and Nicholson's performance) are the true winners and not the scares.

Your thoughts please...”

Trent, that’s a wonderful and thoughtful question, and I certainly understand where you are coming from in your assessment of The Shining: as a great film but not necessarily one of the scariest films ever made.

No less a respected authority than Stephen King has voiced a similar opinion.

In particular, King felt that the horror (or scare…) set-ups and scenes in the film didn’t work in the way a good example of the genre should. He has also complained about Nicholson as Torrance.  

His concern, essentially, is that you know from Frame One that Nicholson’s Torrance is bad news, and therefore there’s no meaningful character arc going forward.

As far as my own perspective, I feel that the “Nicholson-esque” approach is very fresh in The Shining (1980), but today -- after  thirty years of similar performances from the actor -- it seems more pro forma (and therefore less effective…) in some sense.  

In other words, since The Shining we have seen Nicholson as the Devil in The Witches of Eastwick (1986) and as the Joker in Batman (1989).  He’s also been a territorial werewolf in Mike Nichols’ Wolf (1994).  So we now know very well how this (great) actor does the “madman” role.

But go back to 1980 -- the release date of The Shining -- and there are almost no prominent instances of the Nicholson “mad” persona as we understand it today.

It’s true that he’s always been wild-eyed and nutty (Little Shop of Horrors, Easy Rider), but we had never before seen him in the role of a homicidal maniac.  So I do feel that we reflect “back” on The Shining a familiar performance when in fact the opposite is true: Nicholson’s trademark, remarkable performance set off a chain of similar ones, but at the time was quite original and new. It's spiky enough that it raises significantly the scare quotient in The Shining, but familiarity softens its impact today. 

Regarding whether or not The Shining is scary overall -- and perhaps one of the scariest films ever made -- I tend to think that it is, although in an admittedly unconventional way.  It’s not a jump scare kind of movie to be certain, and The Shining isn’t scary in the sense of a haunted house movie like Poltergeist, where you feel deeply invested in the survival of the characters.

But there is more than one way to skin a cat (forgive the expression…), and more than one way to make a scary horror movie.  

For example, I have spoken with many individuals over the years that grew up in the home of an alcoholic father and find this film absolutely terrifying...to an almost unbearable degree.  The way that Torrance is unpredictable -- friendly one moment and caustic the next -- is, in and of itself, scary.  You never know what mood you're going to find this mercurial "Dad" in, and that fact sows uncertainty, the necessary precursor for heightened cinematic fear.  

Because of the winter and the isolation of the Overlook Hotel, there’s no escape from this intemperate, hot-and-cold, dangerous "bad father" and so his menace grows increasingly oppressive (and physically intimidating…) throughout the film.   

With apologies to to the genius of Stephen King, no character arc is really necessary here: the whole setting is a pressure-cooker...constantly inching towards a boil.  Accordingly, the film does feature a kind of adrenaline-provoking build-up of terror as Torrance's madness threatens to erupt…and then, finally, does erupt with bloody results.

In regards to the Duvall/Nicholson relationship, I feel that it almost perfectly mirrors the relationship of a victim/abuser in a domestic violence situation.  She’s a little shut-down, a bit of a people-pleaser, and she’s scared to death of her husband, especially when he’s been drinking.  The movie’s unique brand of “psychic” fear emerges from this dynamic of the bad, abusive and alcoholic father, and not necessarily from the ghosts it features.   

But importantly, the end result is the same: a deeply-layered sense of looming dread, building towards a fever of madness and violence.  I find almost the entire movie suspenseful, because the bomb that is Jack Torrance is going to go off...it's just a question of when.

Given Kubrick's deployment of brilliant film grammar, and the bravura performance by Nicholson, as well as the icy, relentless chill of familial breakdown, I can certainly understand why people remember The Shining as one of the scariest movies ever made.    

Here's an example that may make my point clearer.  I have a dear friend who doesn't like The Descent (2006) at all, and claims that it it is only scary if you happen to be claustrophobic.  In other words, the viewer's own, pre-existing fear of tight-spots does a lot of the movie's heavy lifting in his opinion.

Similarly, The Shining plucks a certain set of fears and dreads -- about family, fathers and alcoholism -- but as always, individual viewer mileage may vary.  

In  the end, fear may be a subjective emotion...but The Shining, as you say, has scared at least a couple of generations silly...

Great question!  Don't forget to ask me more at Muirbusiness@yahoo.com