Every winter, the Overlook Hotel closes down and moves out with only a single janitor and his family left to keep the boiler going and repair minor damage. This year it is recovering alcoholic playwright Jack Torrance, his sexy wife Wendy and cute as a button, but psychic son Danny. Jack and Wendy's marriage is suffering from the aftermath of Jack's drinking and the occasion when he broke Danny's arm whilst under the influence. The job at the Overlook is his last chance to put things right and save the relationship. Danny, though, is a special sort of boy with the ability to see things, things that have happened, might happen or that are happening some way distant. The hotel's cook who also has these powers (though not as strong) calls it 'the shining' and tells Danny that the things he sees in the Overlook can't hurt him if he looks away and counts to ten. The Overlook, however, might disagree.

THE SHINING is one of horrormeister Stephen King's most celebrated books and the film adaptation from Stanley Kubrick is one of the few really good adaptations of King's work. Stephen King doesn't seem to think so, however, and so has written this three part mini-series reworking the story for the small screen.

This episode is the 'getting to know you' episode, setting up the scene and introducing the characters. It's a slow, measured build up, but one that is effective because we get to know Jack, Wendy and Danny. There are perhaps a few too many flashbacks (we don't need to see all of the scenes from their past, verbal descriptions would have been just as effective) and the appearances of Tony, Danny's not quite so imaginary friend are decidedely less than scary.

We also get to know the Overlook Hotel, one of the main characters. As it's early days in the tale the creepy events that we see are small, out-of-the-corner-of-the-eye events that could be nothing, but are shown to be clearly supernatural. Swings push themselves, doors swing shut on their own and a nest full of dead wasps suddenly comes back to life. As the episode comes to a close fires are lighting themselves, rooms start their own parties and chairs don't want to stay on tables.

This, though is about the characters. Steven Weber looks the everyman part and gives Jack the rough edges of a recovering alcoholic. Rebecca De Moenay does her best to look like the wife next door and pulls it off quite well. Courtland Mead is as cute as a button as Danny, but isn't able to cope with the demanding scenes that the story demands of him. His scenes with Dick Halloran, the cook who explains about the titular 'shining' (the mental powers that allow Danny to know things he couldn't know and to see things that have yet to happen) explain the plot, but don't have real resonance.

The scene is set, however, and the promise is that the second episode will ramp up the chills.

EPISODE 2