(Supposedly) former alcoholic/student-punching teacher/child abuser/aspiring playwright Jack Torrance (Steven Weber, Wings, Channel Zero) has just landed a gig out Colorado way as the winter caretaker of the majestic and very secluded Overlook Hotel, which is closed for the season.
Along for the stay are Jack’s capable and sympathetic wife Wendy (Rebecca De Mornay, Risky Business) and his young son Danny or as he’s nicknamed, Doc (Courtland Mead, 1994’s re-make of The Little Rascals), a young tyke that has a raging case of what the Overlook’s soon to be on vacay cook, Dick Hallorann (the legendary Melvin Van Peebles, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song) calls “the shining”; a psychic ability that allows him to both communicate with other possessors of the shining (like Dick) telepathically as well as being sensitive to ghostly presences… some of which warn him of future dangers!
That’s kind of a bummer, because from the word “go” Danny can tell that the Overlook is haunted as all fuck… and even though Dick assures Danny that the ghosts can’t actually harm him, it in no way diminishes their creep factor.
Also concerning is that as the ghostly presence becomes ever more present in Danny’s world, Jack losses his shit exponentially… and the ghosts don’t seem to abide by that “they can’t hurt you” bullshit for very long… plus the snow outside is growing higher and higher…
Coming from director Mick Garris (no stranger to adapting Stephen King material having preciously directed 1992’s Sleepwalkers and 1994’s television adaptation of The Stand) The Shining mini-series is NOT Kubrick’s masterpiece, so some of the visual iconography you may associate with the story is nowhere to be found here… you know, to set expectations and all…
That being said, there are plenty of positives to be found here…
The cast here is incredibly strong, with Weber absolutely rockin’ his performance while exuding a palpable menace as he tries to maintain while ghosts and his personal demons erode his sanity to the point of no return… not to mention his scenes with young Mead are uncomfortably tense in places.
DeMornay is also solid as the family matriarch that wants to believe her beloved can change, but isn’t afraid to stand her ground to protect herself and her son… and speaking of which, Mead is pretty dang solid as Danny, and is usually believable when both talking to the dead and cowering from his psycho Pappy.
The supporting cast is great here as well, no matter how brief their screen time with great character turns from the aforementioned Van Peebles and the Burtonverse Batman flick’s Commissioner Gordon, Pat Hingle.
As eluded to above, this version sticks much closer to Stephen King’s original text (it doesn’t hurt that he provided the screenplay here as well), so expect to see plenty of material that will be very familiar to the novel including stalking topiary animals, a more prominent supernatural menace, a much stronger portrayal of Wendy (character-wise), much more importance placed on the Overlook’s boiler, wasps, a expanded role for Hallorann… pretty much everything a four and a half hour runtime allows time for, which in turn creates a strong slow-burn that becomes ever more tense as the hotel wrestles control from Jack piece by piece.
Also strong are the film’s make-up work with the denizens of that arcane abode looking suitably gnarly (in particular the woman from Room 217, a rotting hag portrayed by Garris’ wife Cynthia underneath a fantastic bit of practical artistry). But while we are on the subject of special effects…
A negative of this production is it’s reliance on some now horribly dated and tacky CGI work, with sequences of that aforementioned terrifying topiary and a demonic fire hose looking particularly janky.
As discussed up yonder, this is a more leisurely journey through the wicked world of The Shining, with Scream Factory presenting the film on two Blu-ray discs, which feature a an audio commentary featuring King, Garris, Weber, and Cynthia Garris which details the film’s production in-depth, as well as a selection of deleted scenes (with optional commentary from Garris).
A great choice for both fans of King’s novel, or those wishing to compare and contrast this rendition with Kubrick’s version; Mick Garris’ take on The Shining is well acted, well made, and a solid supernatural shocker through and through!
