"Heeeeere's Johnnnny!"
I know, I know. You're thinking, "Why on earth is the wimpiest Movie Mom in the building doing a review on anything creepy--let alone a Stephen King classic?" Well, I'll tell you. It just so happens that I've seen The Shining, in whole or in part 5 times in my life--four times as an "edited for TV movie" and once while babysitting for a family with a brand new HBO system that I could neither control nor turn off. Yeah...scared me half to death. At any rate, I'm coming from a great place--experience wise, to do this review.
First let me say that nothing--not TV editing, or ClearPlay--can make this movie a calming bedtime story for kids--so don't fantasize. I mean, we're talking Jack Nickelson here, for Pete's sake. But a filter can make it the perfect creep out show for your-teens-and-up--on any dark and stormy night. Now, normally we don't rent R-rated movies, on principle, but a family member needed to see The Shining for school, so he agreed to watch it, with ClearPlay. I couldn't resist seeing what the filter would do with this one--so I settled in too.
Motherly Advice: You'll be pleased to know that ClearPlay tidied this freaky show up phenomenally--without losing any of the chill factor. Surprisingly, the one provocative scene--that I remember from the HBO fiasco of my youth--was gone entirely--rather than just blanked out in strategic places. The cuts were smooth and unnoticeable. Of course, Jack Nickelson's mouth has no cure but at least we didn't have to hear it. Shelly Duval is still a whiney, sappy voiced, door mat--but sadly, there isn't a filter for that.
So, if for some reason, you find yourself wanting to watch tons of dead people goading a crazy man to chase his wife and son around with an ax--rest assured--this is your movie.
Maybe you can handle it.
Redrum...redrum...redrum...
Launi~ MovieMom who would never have married creepy Jack in the first place...problem solved.
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