Not quite The Simpsons' version

11.01.2004

Finally saw The Shining last night. I'm a pretty poor judge of "scary" movies, since I'm so rarely scared by them (The Ring was a notable exception). W/ few exceptions, I found the acting either hammed up & heavy-handed, or wooden & static. Which mostly meant I didn't care about any of the characters (I wished, out loud, that they'd all die early into the movie). But I did learn a few things.

Don't ever sell your soul for anything, not even a glass of beer. Because it seems that was a big part of the problem.

Building a secluded hotel over Indian burial grounds is, of course, always a bad idea.

If you live near a hedgerow maze, learn how to get in/out of it quickly. It might save your life.

The only non-white character in a horror flick will be killed. Swiftly, unceremoniously, and w/o much afterthought.

You shouldn't accept a job that requires you to live in absolute seclusion in a snowed-in mountain hotel if you're kid has an imaginary friend & just had a seizure the day before.

Finally, and most importantly, living in secluded mountain hotel for half a year, alone, is not worth whatever anyone is willing to pay you.

Also, for a movie called "The Shining", there was very little explanation or use of the concept. Yes, the kid could summon the cook. Impressive. But what good did it do? Other than muddle the plot, that is.

Posted by Miguel at 03:22 AM

Comments

I loved it, specifically the hammed-up acting. I watched it years ago for the first time and it scared the crap out of me. Now, when I watch it, I'm enjoying things like the three-wheeler scene where the sound changes from riding on the carpet to riding on the wooden floor. Or the descent into madness... Just all of it. Campy, yes, but I like it.

Posted by: j.scott barnard at November 1, 2004 02:00 PM

oh miguel...how could you?

thats a great movie.

for shame.

Posted by: mark at November 1, 2004 03:40 PM

See, horror movies don't scare me. Not at all. I just find them too formulaic & predictable, especially Stephen King stories. Sorry. It just wasn't all that interesting to me. I could see man moments in it that clearly were superior to other movies in that genre. But it's just not a genre I tend to like very much.

Posted by: Miguel [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 1, 2004 06:15 PM

I thought living somewhere secluded would be a wonderful idea for a writer who doesn't have a lot of money. I regard this as one of the best horror movies ever.

Not much for korean horror flicks. Those are formulaic - screming, girls with long hair without a face, crying babies, dark hallways, white face... blech!

Posted by: Stephanie at November 1, 2004 07:03 PM