Stanley Kubrick: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

The Shining is a masterpiece of psychological horror, directed in 1980. It is loosely based on the book by Stephen King of the same name. The film sees the central character Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), a writer and recovering alcoholic, slowly go crazy in the isolation of a winter-blocked hotel with his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son.

At this point in his career, Kubrick had nothing left to prove. He had shown his film-making mastery and genre-shifting skills before, so the move to horror was a no-brainer.

The film breathes tension throughout, with its clear use of expositional shots and ominus countdowns. This leaves the viewer in utter suspense. The Shining released to screens across the US the same weekend as The Empire Strikes Back and was initially met with mixed reviews. Many critics praised Jack Nicholson’s acting, whilst criticising Shelley Duvall for hers. Kubrick got his one and only Razzie nomination for his direction on the movie.

It is now popular legend the amount of strain that was put on both actors during the shoot. Duvall especially was treated with intentional disdain by Kubrick but despite this - perhaps because of this - they both provide mesmerising performances.

The film was met with ire from Stephen King and his fans who hated the many alterations from the novel. But time has been kind to this picture and its acclaim only grows year by year, which is an amazing feat for a movie reaching its 40th anniversary in 2020.