Okay so no idea if anyone else is watching it but I didn't watch The Shining last night when I desperately needed sleep for nothing so
The Shining: 8/10
The Shining's main strength is the uncomfortable, tense undercurrent running throughout the entire film. Even when something bad isn't happening, it doesn't feel completely "right" and I put a lot of that down to the atmosphere established right out of the gate. The opening sequence is one of my absolute favourites from a movie, it's simple but so effective with the foreboding music and sweeping camera pans. The score throughout the whole movie is brilliant actually and never fails to set me on edge.
One thing I wasn't hugely keen on was how cryptic they made the plot points with Charles and Delbert Grady and Jack appearing in the photo at the end. It's not that I need everything spoonfed to me but I'm never a big fan of these big mysterious moments that are hard to make sense of never getting actually explained. I have read theories and so I have a couple of ideas of what I think the whole deal was but I think more actual clarification on it in the movie itself would have been more rewarding rather than the whole "Leave it up to the viewers' imaginations" thing. Also, I wish Jack was portrayed as more likeable before his descent into madness (as I believe he was in the novel if I'm not mistaken), that would have made his personal story more powerful.
But yeah, on the whole I think The Shining is one of the most effective horror movies at creating a genuine feeling of unease and dread but I can see why it's not for everyone. Everyone has their own personal tastes when it comes to what works as a horror film and if the slow build isn't your taste, this movie will probably not work for you. But for me, it does.
Ranking:
1. The Shining: 8/10
2. The Hills Have Eyes: 7/10