The Shining

I watched The Shining for the first time and was expecting it to be terrifying, as it is described in numerous reviews as one of the best horrors of all time. I can understand that the atmosphere created it eerie and sound effects chilling, however the film didn't so much make me scared although it did make me a little tense towards the end. The adrenaline is more in the chase than the actual horror. The only scene which gave me a little shock was Jack Nicholson's frozen face in the snow which was a little horrifying. 

The audio within the film was obvious and supposed to build suspense although it didn't work for me. The shots were too long and the music used was no doubt chilling however it was not used sparingly enough. More recent films tend to create suspense with creaks and footsteps (sounds heard by the victim). Blasting out eerie music with long shots didn't seem effective, perhaps this would have worked better with a short shot and a sudden burst of sound. 

The pace picks up at the end when Jack finally cracks. His wife is the first to become physically violent and perhaps her fear is what drove him over the edge. He hunts down his wife and child and the suspense in these last few scenes is effective. The scene in the maze is particularly attention-grabbing, as Jack chases after his son you cant help but hope the boy is fast enough to get away. 

The film was no doubt effective as a horror when first released but our generation is use to faster paced films, and we have seen so many of them that plots become predictable. Horrors need to be truly horrific to shock us these days.