Nick Herbert’s Reviews > The Shining > Status Update

Shit's getting real. We've seen the inside of 217, danny has had a warm welcome from it's guest. Lots of family drama with Wendy and Jack slinging shit at each other. Jack going proper off the deep-end, sabotaging their only ways out - at first unwillingly (radio) then purposefully (snowmobile). The horror elements are honestly where it's weakest for me - the hedges and hoses don't do much. The drama is where it's at

The tension is rising now. We’re learning more about the darker history of the Overlook, and Jacks mental state is steadily declining. The weather is worsening, and it won’t be long before they’re trapped up there.
The character work is masterful, I’m completely hooked now. I also love that Wendy actually believes the kid, it bucks an annoying trope and allows her to be much more sympathetic because of it.

Build-up still fairly slow, but I like the realistic portrayal of addiction and potential abuse through Jack. It's a very complex, layered approach to issues many tend to flatten. I like the metaphor of the wasp nest, being this thing Jack thought he had killed and buried, only for it to flare back up when alone with his wife and son. Representative of his own abusive tendencies. It's incredible character work so far