“The Shining” (1980) [R]

     This is possibly director Stanley Kubrick’s best movie, among many other movies he directed that gained much fame in the cinema world. It was one of the first movies that actually scared me in a rational way. Jack Nicholson’s performance was by far at its peak in this film; he can draw the audience in and make them feel as if he really was the character, instead of Jack Nicholson. In addition, this is a great translation from Stephen King’s book of the same name; there were only a few facts in the book which were not in the movie.

     I first watched Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” several years ago, and it was the first movie that really scared me. Sure, there are plenty of so called “scary” movies available, however what most people think of as a frightening movie isn’t what I deem horror. Most people think films about serial killers with literal buckets-of-blood count as something of horror. My idea of a scary tale is one that brings out people’s greatest fears and makes you question all thoughts of truth or reality. “The Shining” does all of this and then some, it pulls out all the stops and holds nothing back for the audience.

     Of all the movies Jack Nicholson has been in and of all of the great performances he’s given, the character he portrays in this film is possibly the most entertaining. The audience can tell that he went through a lot of determination to give only his best abilities at playing his character. Not a moment goes by that the audience thinks he’s someone other than the character. Many people may even forget that he is acting, he’s just that good. Of course, the portrayal of the character is nearly identical to that of the one in the book.

     There have been many stories, especially those of Stephen King’s books, which have been made into movies. Sadly, most of them aren’t anything at all like the original story. “The Shining” is one of the few exceptions, however, for it would seem that the makers of the film actually read the book before bringing it to cinema. There are several portions of dialogue that were taken directly from the book, and many instances of the story that were very nearly like what happened in the book. Of course, there were a few things that they took out of the movie version which I would have preferred to have seen in the film, but the movie was already long enough with all of the other stuff they put in the translation.

          My overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Carrie” (1976) [R]

     “Carrie” is still a scary movie, being one of those classics that will hold together through the times. It is a decent adaptation of the Stephen King novel, for there are a few key differences between the two, however it does stand out for itself. It focuses a major part on the characters and their development so that the audience really begins to understand the main character and even begin to feel sympathy for her. It can, to some point, be considered more of a drama than a horror for all the time it spends showing all the torment that Carrie is put through, however the true horror comes out when she finally lashes out at her those who put her through such anxieties.

     At first, the movie is sort of slow, as it puts a lot of focus on character development. Most of them change throughout the movie, especially the protagonist, Carrie. The audience is shown the traits of the characters by their actions. This is a very classic kind of story line, having the better part of the story concentrating on characters and the developments of their personalities and finally bringing on the climax as one big explosion of action or horror. It’s good to know that there are at least some movies that hold true to that style of storytelling, although that is mostly due to the fact that that’s how Stephen King wrote the book.

     From the start of the movie, the audience will begin to understand the situation that Carrie is in, being treated horribly by her classmates, and treated even worse by her over-religious mother. At some point in the film the viewers will start to sympathize with Carrie as well. They will truly feel sorry for her and wish that something would happen to make them feel better about it all. Then as the climax approaches, they get their wish. When Carrie finally lashes out at her tormentors, the audience is completely on her side and hoping she gets the last laugh, so to speak.

     In a way, this film can be considered more of a drama than a horror. It does spend more time on showing how she is treated by the other people at her school and by her mother. The drama almost takes over until she rallies back and takes everything out on everyone around her. That’s when the true horror begins. Just as in King’s book, the climax is more or less when all the horror comes out from hiding, and when it does it is thoroughly shocking. This film is still considered by many to be very scary, which is a feat by itself because of how much the horror genre has changed since this movie originally came out.

          My overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Secret Window” (2004) [PG-13]

     “Secret Window” was made when Johnny Depp was making his big appearance into fame through the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, and it is just another film through which he has shown the world how good an actor he is. His performance in this feature wasn’t the only entertaining one, John Turturro also proved once again that he can pull the audience into the character. Other factors for which this film is very notable is its soundtrack, the orchestral music placed behind the cinema sucks the audience into every suspenseful moment. This show is a great paranoia horror story, it plays with the viewer’s senses. It is one of many movies that have been made out of one of Stephen King’s stories; sadly, this one isn’t much like King’s story at all.

     The creators of “Secret Window” couldn’t have picked any better actors for the roles of the protagonist, Mort Rainey, and his nemesis, John Shooter. Johnny Depp was making his comeback to fame about the time he starred in this film. He shows that he can rise to the occasion of being able to play any role and do it well. John Turturro acts as the antagonist, John Shooter, and verifies as he always has that he can pull the audience into the moment whenever he appears on the scene. Purely believable, Turturro has never been better that he was in “Secret Window.” However, it’s not actor’s portrayal of characters alone that makes for an entertaining film.

     The soundtrack for this movie is just one more thing that will take hold of the audience. In the most suspenseful scenes the music will draw viewers in and can scare them just as much as what’s going on in the story. Character’s action will scare the audience, but the without the soundtrack, none of the suspense gets built up nearly as well. There are many movies which would be nothing without their music. This film isn’t one of them, but its quality is increased greatly just by adding the suspenseful orchestra in the scenes.

     “Secret Window” is a tale of extreme paranoid horror, and the cinema version of the story somewhat does justice to it. The suspense builds behind every turn and during every moment of the movie. It’s one of the few pictures that can truly scare the viewers, instead of just grossing them out. As good as this flick is, it has one flaw. It is one of many that have been based on a Stephen King fiction, but sadly it is not very much like the original tale. There are many differences between King’s short story and the 2004 enactment. Reading the short story version gives more satisfaction than watching the movie.

          My overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

“From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) [R]

     “From Dusk Till Dawn” is a turn in filmmaking for Robert Rodriguez. It was the first of his movies to have vampires. The screenplay is commendable, along with the fact that this picture was one of the first to change genres halfway through and the cinematography was experimental to say the least. The one disadvantage to this film is that it is too similar to other Rodriguez movies, which shows that he makes incredible flicks, but only does so with one type.

     The screenplay of this film is commendable for its action and its surprises. Written by Quentin Tarantino, the script has action that almost never stops. The movie is meant to be action-packed, nothing else, and it answers to that call. It also contains a few twists and turns for the viewers; if for some reason the surprises don’t hold enough of the viewer’s interests, then the action most certainly will keep their attention.

     The genre for this show is a little more difficult to pin down than it is for others. The story starts out as a crime action and takes a major turn about halfway through. Just when the audience gets used to watching a movie about criminals on the lamb, it changes like an animal going one direction and suddenly deciding to go completely the other way. It changes into a horror film when the criminals find themselves in the company of vampires. Such an interesting twist can make or break how well the viewers will enjoy this movie.

     Robert Rodriguez showed the world some of his best cinematography with this movie. He made sure the cameras shot everything just the way he wanted and when it came time for the edit he set the filming in the perfect order to compliment the story and give the audience the full view of everything that happened. He also used it as a chance to do some experimental cinematography which led the way for some lower end directors. This new style of filming was to make the audience feel as if they were in a video game during the high-paced action shots; it works incredibly well with Tarantino’s screenplay.

     The main weakness of “From Dusk Till Dawn” is that it is far too similar to other works that Rodriguez and Tarantino have done. They have time and time again proven that they can make intriguing crime action features, which will tell movie-goers, one thing: they need to show that they can do well on other types of motion pictures as well. After watching many other Tarantino or Rodriguez pictures people can begin to get the idea that they enjoy making only action thrillers. This is all well and good, but truly amazing filmmakers throughout history have been able to show that they are adept at many different styles. Although this movie was one of their first takes on horror stories, it just has too much in common with their other projects.

          My overall rating: 2.5 out of 5