Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 25: The Shining

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and creatures lurking in the shadows!  This month, October, is a favorite among horror fans, such as myself.  My goal for the next 31 days is to share with you the scariest and best of the genre.  The films will range from old school classics to modern day gorefests (they won't be in any particular order).  So scout these movies out, grab a bag of popcorn (or a blood bag) and enjoy!

The Shining (1980)
Dir. Stanley Kubrick

Pure and simple, The Shining is one of the best horror movies ever made (despite what Stephen King makes of it).  Jack Nicholson is at the top of his game in this one and Stanley Kubrick meticulously plotted out a film that has stood and will stand the test of time.  The story follows the Torrances, who are the latest caretakers of the secluded Overlook Hotel during the winter.  It's rumored that the previous caretaker went nuts and slaughtered his family in a cabin fever frenzy -- but clearly Jack Nicholson is the best choice to keep everything sane again.  Throw in Scatman Crothers, a creepy little kid with some kind of supernatural power, a tear-and-snot waterfall named Shelley Duvall, and some of the most seemingly random nightmarish images ever in a movie and that's The Shining for you.

Not much to say with this one; Jack Nicholson being my favorite actor it's easy for me to love this movie.  His performance is so intense and crazy that in the hands of anyone else it would come off as comical.  There are so many great sequences in this film...in fact, pretty much every moment during its run time is a classic scene!  From Duvall discovering Jack's typewriter, to Danny (little boy) yelping "red rum" over and over, to the "Here's Johnny!" axe-to-door scene, to a terrifying hedge maze chase, and last but not least to Scatman Crother's funky bachelor pad, almost all the scenes and lines of this movie have seeped into our cinematic sensibilities. If you haven't seen it, Halloween is just around the corner - you haven't lived until you've experienced The Shining.