The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick transformed Stephen King's ghost story into a formally perfect study of domestic violence, creative failure, and psychological disintegration. Jack Nicholson's performance as Jack Torrance set the benchmark for screen madness, and images like Room 237, the twin girls, and the blood-flooded corridor have become permanent fixtures of the collective unconscious. Holding a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is regularly ranked among the greatest films ever made in any genre.