DVD Reviews:  The Shining (telemovie)

This brilliant movie aired on television a few years ago and I remember being riveted to the screen for the entire airing of it. The Shining is based on the novel of the same name by the master of horror, Stephen King. This teleplay was also done by Stephen King. 

Some people might remember the original movie of the Shining where the chief protagonist was played by Jack Nicholson. In my opinion, this version of the story is far superior to that one, however with the extra time it has been given along with the advancements in technology, it is to be expected. 

The Shining is a gift, like a 6^th sense of sorts and it has been bestowed with great power upon young Danny Torrance. He and his family are to spend the winter caretaking a hotel called the Overlook that unbeknownst to the Torrance family is filled with the ghosts of scandal and murder that have happened at the hotel for decades. Little Danny is walking straight into a nightmare as he can see things that have happened in the past and future by “seeing” a type of psychic resonance as it were. The concentration of evil at the Overlook is such that it can manifest itself physically and soon the family is in great danger. Add to that the fact that Danny’s father Jack, is a recovering alcoholic who is on the verge of drinking again and you have a surefire recipe for disaster. 

I’ve read the book a number of times and seen this movie before, but even so it still sent shivers up my spine and made me jump in my seat. Every part in the movie is played to perfection, making the entire scenario very believable in the supernatural sense of the word. 

The transfer of this movie was very well done and from what I could see there was very little in the way of mpeg artifacts or low level noise. Sound was mixed well and certainly helped the creepy factor raise the ante a notch. I can say that the entire experience made for a very compelling watch as you see the evil spirit of the hotel work it’s evil on Jack Torrance as he slowly loses his battle against the bottle. 

Further to the overall quality of the presentation of this feature was the simple abundance of extras featured on the third disc. Whilst to look at the extras listed it may not seem like many, the audio commentary and additional scenes are worth the purchase alone. Stephen King himself takes part in the commentary and he is so animated about the whole project that it makes for a fascinating listen. The additional scenes also manage to add insight and some would have been nice if they had actually been included. Commentary on these additional scenes does explain their omission though.

Recommended!