Stephen King's The Shining Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Stephen King's The Shining Blu-ray Movie Review

The Shining received a television miniseries in 1997 as a second adaptation of the classic horror novel by Stephen King (Carrie, The Stand). The television mini-series was produced due to Stephen King’s own disappointment with the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of The Shining (released in 1980). Produced by Mark Carliner (Stalin, George Wallace), The Shining miniseries brings the 1977 book to life with an absorbing three-episode arc. Executive produced by Stephen King, The Shining miniseries was even penned by King himself – he wrote the script for the miniseries event.

Jack Torrance (Steven Weber) has a new job – a desperately needed one. The job might be the antidote needed on the road to beginning anew with his family. Jack has been a recovering alcoholic for a good while and his time away from drinking has helped him to try and fix things with his family.

Jack’s new job is to look over the sprawling Overlook Hotel. The Hotel is vacant and needed a housekeeper to care for the property for an extended period. Jack brings along his beautiful wife Winifred Torrance (Rebecca De Mornay) and his son Danny Torrance (Courtland Mead).

Jack finds an opportunity to try and pick up his writing again (something that Jack let slip away as an alcoholic) and the new job promises a chance for Jack to move on from his past violent fits against his family. Despite the promise of a new start for Jack, Danny possesses a rare psychic ability that allows for him to connect with the dead – a gift called the shining. The Overlook Hotel has 110 different empty hotel rooms – what could be behind each of the hotel doors?

Ghostly phantoms await around the vacant hotel. A scary message in blood-dripped blood reading “redrum” appears in a vision. What dangers hide in the Overlook Hotel?

The performances are impressive and the miniseries is absorbing because of the good work of the cast. Steven Weber delivers a solid performance as Jack Torrance and his performance differs quite a bit in comparison to the iconic performance in the Kubrick adaptation. Jack is more sympathetic in the miniseries version and there is more to his torment. Steven Weber showcases a range – from an absolute state of chaos to the struggles of staying sober and to the paternal role.

Courtland Mead provides a strong performance as Danny and for a young actor he understands the part well. The performance works well for the miniseries and helps elevate the tension throughout the more horrific sequences in the story. Rebecca De Mornay also impresses as Winifred Torrance. Rebecca De Mornay showcases both the maternal side of her character and her determination to stand up for herself. Rebecca De Mornay also shines with radiant beauty throughout the miniseries.  

The cinematography by Shelly Johnson (Bill & Ted Face the Music, Captain America: The First Avenger) struck me as one of the best things about the miniseries. The television miniseries version looks quite lovely and cinematic. The visuals are engaging and the style of cinematography feels theatrical and is better than many television productions of the time-period. Johnson made the series look just as visually rewarding as a bigger-budget theatrical feature and this was a nice component of the production.

Edited by Patrick McMahon (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Stand), The Shining miniseries flows well throughout the three episodes. The miniseries has a nice sense of rhythm and the episodes are part of an essential whole. The editing was tight on the production and the end result is something that simply works. Impressive.

The production design by Craig Stearns (The Mask, Veronica Mars) brings the Overlook Hotel to life in a fantastic way. The Overlook Hotel is a strange and mysterious place. The production design brings the miniseries to life. The Shining miniseries was filmed in Estes Park, Colorado at the Stanley Hotel. The hotel was considered a source of inspiration for Stephen King while writing the novel.

Filming at the Stanley Hotel, The Shining television production captures the essence of the Overlook Hotel and its eerie wonders. The effective art direction by Randy Moore (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Avengers) aids the miniseries event, too. As does the costuming by Warden Neil (Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight).

The special effects were overseen by John C. Carlucci (Blade, Hotel Artemis) with models by Jeffrey Cupernell and creature effects by Patrick M. Gerrety (Spider-Man 2, Star Trek: First Contact). The production has solid special effects for the time-period (especially as a television production). In comparison to theatrical features, the special effects do look a bit dated and lower- budget but nonetheless manage to work well despite showing some age.

The score composed by Nicholas Pike (Tales from the Crypt, Bag of Bones) is eerie and effective. The score gave goosebumps at various points throughout the miniseries and was well-done – this was a wonderful part of the television miniseries and the composer certainly gave it his all. A great score.

Written by horror maestro Stephen King, adapting his own classic novel, The Shining is well-written and that should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever encountered a tale by the horror mastermind. The scripts are well-paced and the storytelling is enormously effective. The writing is sublime and the effort on the production is felt throughout the miniseries. King understands his characters better than anyone.

Directed by Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers), The Shining is an entertaining and absorbing event. The television miniseries is exceptionally well-done. The filmmaking is terrific and the miniseries can stand on its own as a quality production – even for audiences who love and cherish the 1980 film directed by Stanley Kubrick. Audiences should make sure to see this version of The Shining.

Stephen King's The Shining Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Shining is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The television miniseries has received a brand new 2K scan and restoration of the interpositive. The restoration is almost entirely taken from the high-quality source used for the new 2K scan. However, select scenes (or brief clips) are assembled from non-interpositive source footage based on available materials for the restoration.

The non-interpositive source footage is still derived from the best available source material Shout Factory could provide for the presentation. It is worth noting that these moments are brief and fleeting – a decidedly small degree of the footage in the totality of the miniseries run-time. The majority of the presentation is from the interpositive and the new 2K scan and restoration is stunning.

The restoration looks far better than anticipated for a television miniseries and the image quality is outstanding with an abundance of detail. The filmic appearance of The Shining miniseries allows for the television production to feel more cinematic and engaging. The transfer is remarkably sharp and the pleasing, natural qualities of the scan add a lot to the experience. Though the non-interpositive source footage clips aren't in the same level of quality, these moments are fleeting and the best elements selected still seem superior to standard broadcast.

Stephen King's The Shining Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio track is presented in 24 bit high-resolution. The audio quality on the release is fantastic and it sounds crisp and engaging alongside the newly restored film. The audio encoding is top-notch and the clarity of the presentation pleases with quality dialogue reproduction, score envelopment, and overall depth.

Stephen King's The Shining Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Audio Commentary by Stephen King, Mick Garris, Steven Weber and Cynthia Garris

Disc 2:

Audio Commentary by Stephen King, Mick Garris, and Steven Weber

Deleted Scenes (SD, 16:53)

Deleted Scenes – Play with Audio Commentary (SD, 16:53)

Trailer (SD, 1:26)

Stephen King's The Shining Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Shining is a terrific television miniseries. Stephen King wrote the teleplays for the miniseries and oversaw the production himself. As a result, the television miniseries is more faithful to the book in comparison to the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of The Shining released in 1980. The Blu-ray features exceptional high-definition video with a top-notch restoration sourced from the original interpositive. The interpositive was used for the majority of the restoration and select scenes (where interpositive materials were not available) have been source from the best alternative source-footage. The result? The Shining has never looked better before. Fans of the Stephen King miniseries would be remiss to overlook this gem of a physical media release. Highly recommended.