10 Best Horror Movie Scenes Where Good Characters Turned Evil
3. Jack Torrance - The Shining
We've all thought we've gone mad at some points in our lives, but have you ever gotten crazy enough to attack your own family with an axe?
Hopefully, the answer to the question is "no". The only acceptable "yes" response would be if you were Jack Nicholson talking about your legendary turn as Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
Jack, his wife Wendy, and son Danny all arrive at the Overlook Hotel to serve as its Winter caretakers. The isolation of the hotel worsens Jack's already fragile mental state, leading him to snap and (to paraphrase The Simpsons) "go crazy".
The turn in The Shining is so terrifying because it happens so slowly. You can feel Jack losing his mind in a terrifying piece of realism from Kubrick, as you wonder just how long you'd hold up in a similar situation.
The point of no return happens when Jack speaks with Delbert Grady, the hotel's resident ghostly barman. Grady warns Jack about his family and tells him to "correct" them. The writer agrees, and there's no going back.
An absolute masterpiece already, The Shining really kicks things up a notch when Mr. Nicholson goes completely bonkers.