10 Great Horror Movies Over 2 Hours Long
2. The Shining
In The Shining, an struggling author called Jack Torrance has his family move to an isolated hotel for the winter while he tries to work on his novel. As the isolation and a ghostly presence plague Torrance's mind, he starts to manifest murderous thoughts towards his family.
Upon its release, The Shining was perceived as a dud. It received mixed reviews, was reviled by the author, Stephen King, and tanked at the box office (mainly because it had the inconvenience of premiering the same weekend as Empire Strikes Back). Not only was it one of the only films directed by Stanley Kubrick not to receive an Oscar nomination, it garnered a Razzie nom for Worst Director and Worst Actress.
But time has been extremely kind to The Shining since it's now hailed as one of the best horrors in cinematic history. Despite being a slow-building film that borders the 150 minute mark, the constantly uneasy atmosphere stops the viewer from getting bored. Blatant scares are rare but the masterfully crafted direction and phenomenal performances will maintain the audience's undivided attention from beginning to end.