The Shining has been declared the scariest horror film ever made by the top film website totalscifionline.com. The film, based on the Stephen King story, told the story of a frustrated writer, played by Jack Nicholson, who tries to murder his family in an isolated hotel where they are snowed in for the winter.
Following mixed reviews on its release in 1980, its reputation has steadily grown over the years, eventually elevating the film into an iconic classic.
Totalscifionline.com editor Matt McAllister said nearly 30 years after its release The Shining, the claustrophobic Stanley Kubrick classic, remains “an unparalleled study in isolation, madness and paranoia”. “The expansive sets, surreal visuals, and an intense performance from Jack Nicholson add up to a film guaranteed to give viewers a sleepless night.”
Rosemary’s Baby, starring Mia Farrow and directed by Roman Polanski, was runner-up in the list. British cult classic The Wicker Man, which achieved notoriety for its naked fertility dances was in third position.
“A measure of The Shining’s success is the proliferation of its dialogue in popular culture. The repeated phrase “All work and no play make a Jack a dull boy” and Jack Nicholson leeringly announcing ‘Here’s Jonny!’ in the unforgettable scene where he smashes through a door wearing a sadistic smile have cemented the film’s reputation,” said the Independent.
