1980 horror movie
Rating: 17/20
Plot: Jack moves into a scenic hotel with his daughter and son in order to take care of the place in the off-season and do a little writing. While there, he struggles with writer's block. The sight of his son's hideous sweaters also slowly drives him insane.
This movie contains my all-time favorite scene. Anybody want to take a guess? Aside from that scene, lots of classic ones in this. There's almost something about every scene in this movie that just makes you a little uneasy. Unsettling stuff. And I'm not just talking about the kid's sweaters. I especially like the Apollo one. Kubrick was such a perfectionist, and I'm really surprised he didn't say, "Cut! What the hell is that kid wearing? Get wardrobe in here!" That kid, by the way, only acted in one other movie. He played young G. Gordon Liddy. Another trivial note of interest: Kubrick made the cast and crew watch Eraserhead repeatedly to get them in the right mood for filming The Shining.
Unsettling is a perfect description. Trying to peer into your brain to guess your favorite scene is also unsettling. Could it be Danny on his hot wheel coming upon the ugly-a.. girls who would like to play? Or is it Jack with an ax telling an equally ugly Shelley Duvall what he would like to do to her brains? Or does the all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy strike a certain autobiographical cord.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning credits and Berloitz's haunting music, this movie is as creepy as they come. I am surprised this didn't get a higher grade (it got the same as the French roulette movie). In my book it is one the three or four greatest horror films and gets a 19.
By the way, you have this in the beastiality catagory. Are you referring to the woman in the bathtub or is there a scene I've missed? Maybe it's in a director's cut.
Nope. None of those are my favorite scene.
ReplyDeleteI'll try this again. Now I must know. What is your favorite scene?
ReplyDeleteIs your favorite scene the part where Scatman Crouthers is laying in his pan watching TV when the camera pans up to reveal a topless Afro-queen adorning his bedroom?
ReplyDeleteOr is it the part where Shelly Duval encounters a bear-suited ghost going down on a WASPy type gentleman?
The woman in the bath that make Jack Torrence lust after her and then she quick-changes into a cackling naked zombie grandma?
Those scenes are so purposefully bizarre. I'd just about anything to sit down and have a drink with Kubrick in order to pick his brain on why he made the choices he made...
I used to have a shot from my favorite scene on blog, but it's not there anymore.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen Room 237, Josh? I forget who I talk about these things with. I know Jeremy's seen it. Cool documentary and definitely recommended.
I'll post a picture of my favorite scene on Facebook without any explanation. It'll make as much sense as everything else I put on Facebook.
Oh, I read your comment again...you guessed it. It's the guy in the bear suit! That makes me laugh every time I see it.
ReplyDeleteI remembered where I'd put that picture. It was in a review for a terrible movie called Gooby. The reason it's in that post is hilarious. Here it is:
http://shane-movies.blogspot.com/2011/05/gooby.html