Editorials
Happy 37th Birthday to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining!’
On May 23, 1980, Stanley Kubrick’s seminal horror film The Shining was unleashed upon the world. Adapted from Stephen King’s classic 1977 novel of the same name, The Shining has become known as one of the scariest movies of all time, as well as regarded as one of the best horror films of all time. We all know Stephen King feels about Kubrick’s adaptation of his third novel, but interestingly enough, audience and critical reception were decidedly mixed when the film was first released. We thought we’d take a look back at just what people thought about The Shining back in 1980.
In terms of box office, The Shining would go on to gross $44 million upon in 1980 ($127.8 million in 2016 dollars). Of course, it only made $622,337 its opening weekend. That was only in 10 theaters, which gives it a respectable $62,233.70 per theater average, but when you consider the fact that Friday the 13th grossed $5.8 million when it opened just two weeks prior (though that was in 110x more theaters) it puts it a bit more into perspective. Luckily, the film would go on to earn more than double its $19 million production budget.
Would you believe that The Shining was also nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards? Stanley Kubrick was nominated for Worst Director and Shelley Duvall was nominated for Worst Actress (something Stephen King was probably not too upset about). In fact, The Shining was the only one out the last nine films that Kubrick made not to be nominated for an Academy Award or a Golden Globe. It seems almost impossible to believe now, but The Shining was once critically maligned by many critics.
Variety agreed with King’s perception of the film, stating that it “destroy[ed] all that was so terrifying about Stephen King’s bestseller.” The Guardian wrote that “If The Shining isn’t trivial, it certainly encourages one to think that it is.” Gary Arnold of The Washington Post went on to describe it as an “elaborately ineffective scare movie.” What is fascinating about his review is that he points out that trailer for the film gives away its best money shot (the blood coming out of the elevator doors), showing that even in 1980, people were pissy about trailers showing all the good stuff.
Not all reviews were so negative, however. Janet Maslin of the The New York Times gave the film a positive review, though she did mention that “the film’s climactic chase virtually fizzles out before it reaches a resolution.” Roger Ebert, who failed to review the film upon its initial release would go back to the film in 2006 and add it to his list of “Great Movies.”
Of course, we all know that The Shining is a fantastic film, right? Truth be told, The Shining was always one of my least favorite Stephen King novels (I’m so sorry Mr. King. If we ever meet please don’t hold that against me). I’m more of a Misery guy myself, but perhaps my general animosity toward’s King’s novel is why I love Kubrick’s film version so much. King was right when he described the film as “cold” and that’s what makes it such an effective and (sorry) chilling horror film.
What are your thoughts on The Shining? Do your negative thoughts on the film now feel validated by knowing that not everyone adores the film? Or do find the film to be the classic it is so often claimed to be? Either way, give the film a re-watch on its 37th birthday today, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Originally published on this day last year.
Editorials
Silly, Self-Aware ‘Amityville Christmas Vacation’ Is a Welcome Change of Pace [The Amityville IP]
Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”
After a number of bloated runtimes and technically inept entries, it’s something of a relief to watch Amityville Christmas Vacation (2022). The 55-minute film doesn’t even try to hit feature length, which is a wise decision for a film with a slight, but enjoyable premise.
The amusingly self-aware comedy is written and directed by Steve Rudzinski, who also stars as protagonist Wally Griswold. The premise is simple: a newspaper article celebrating the hero cop catches the attention of B’n’B owner Samantha (Marci Leigh), who lures Wally to Amityville under the false claim that he’s won a free Christmas stay.
Naturally it turns out that the house is haunted by a vengeful ghost named Jessica D’Angelo (Aleen Isley), but instead of murdering him like the other guests, Jessica winds up falling in love with him.
Several other recent Amityville films, including Amityville Cop and Amityville in Space, have leaned into comedy, albeit to varying degrees of success. Amityville Christmas Vacation is arguably the most successful because, despite its hit/miss joke ratio, at least the film acknowledges its inherent silliness and never takes itself seriously.
In this capacity, the film is more comedy than horror (the closest comparison is probably Amityville Vibrator, which blended hard-core erotica with references to other titles in the “series”). The jokes here are enjoyably varied: Wally glibly acknowledges his racism and excessive use of force in a way that reflects the real world culture shift around criticisms of police work; the last names of the lovers, as well the title of the film, are obvious homages to the National Lampoon’s holiday film; and the narrative embodies the usual festive tropes of Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies.
This self-awareness buys the film a certain amount of goodwill, which is vital considering Rudzinski’s clear budgetary limitations. Jessica’s ghost make-up is pretty basic, the action is practically non-existent, and the whole film essentially takes place in a single location. These elements are forgivable, though audiences whose funny bone isn’t tickled will find the basic narrative, low stakes, and amateur acting too glaring to overlook. It must be acknowledged that in spite of its brief runtime, there’s still an undeniable feeling of padding in certain dialogue exchanges and sequences.
Despite this, there’s plenty to like about Amityville Christmas Vacation.
Rudzinski is the clear stand-out here. Wally is a goof: he’s incredibly slow on the uptake and obsessed with his cat Whiskers. The early portions of the film lean on Wally’s inherent likeability and Rudzinski shares an easy charm with co-star Isley, although her performance is a bit more one-note (Jessica is mostly confused by the idiot who has wandered into her midst).
Falling somewhere in the middle are Ben Dietels as Rick (Ben Dietels), Wally’s pathetic co-worker who has invented a family to spend the holidays with, and Zelda (Autumn Ivy), the supernatural case worker that Jessica Zooms with for advice on how to negotiate her newfound situation.
The other actors are less successful, particularly Garrett Hunter as ghost hunter Creighton Spool (Scott Lewis), as well as Samantha, the home owner. Leigh, in particular, barely makes an impression and there’s absolutely no bite in her jealous threats in the last act.
Like most comedies, audience mileage will vary depending on their tolerance for low-brow jokes. If the idea of Wally chastising and giving himself a pep talk out loud in front of Jessica isn’t funny, Amityville Christmas Vacation likely isn’t for you. As it stands, the film’s success rate is approximately 50/50: for every amusing joke, there’s another one that misses the mark.
Despite this – or perhaps because of the film’s proximity to the recent glut of terrible entries – Amityville Christmas Vacation is a welcome breath of fresh air. It’s not a great film, but it is often amusing and silly. There’s something to be said for keeping things simple and executing them reasonably well.
That’s a lesson that other indie Amityville filmmakers could stand to learn.
The Amityville IP Awards go to…
- Recurring Gag: The film mines plenty of jokes from characters saying the quiet part (out) loud, including Samantha’s delivery of “They’re always the people I hate” when Wally asks how he won a contest he didn’t enter.
- Holiday Horror: There’s a brief reference that Jessica died in an “icicle accident,” which plays like a perfect blend between a horror film and a Hallmark film.
- Best Line: After Jessica jokes about Wally’s love of all things cats to Zelda, calling him the “cat’s meow,” the case worker’s deadpan delivery of “Yeah, that sounds like an inside joke” is delightful.
- Christmas Wish: In case you were wondering, yes, Santa Claus (Joshua Antoon) does show up for the film’s final joke, though it’s arguably not great.
- Chainsaw Award: This film won Fangoria’s ‘Best Amityville’ Chainsaw award in 2023, which makes sense given how unique it is compared to many other titles released in 2022. This also means that the film is probably the best entry we’ll discuss for some time, so…yay?
- ICYMI: This editorial series was recently included in a profile in the The New York Times, another sign that the Amityville “franchise” will never truly die.
Next time: we’re hitting the holidays in the wrong order with a look at November 2022’s Amityville Thanksgiving, which hails from the same creative team as Amityville Karen <gulp>
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