Let's get some negatives out of the way first: some of the cinematography and style seemed like a mini-series and with some padding could have been a 3-6 episode one. Also, it wasn't frightening or horrific, really, at least compared to modern horror classics. But that's totally ok! Like, the scares are on par with something like True Blood or an HBO mini-series. But again, that's totally okay; not everything has to be crazy terrifying.
Now onto the good: the acting is great, especially from McGreggor, and Ferguson holds her own and is a layered and complex bad guy. They did great. But the biggest surprise was how good of a direct sequel to The Shining this was. Now, right off the bat, you NEED to see The Shining before this (if you haven't) for it to make sense. These two movies are glued together, especially this one. You won't see catch the brilliance if you haven't seen the original Kubrick film. Helps if you've read the book, but that's not necessary. Like or hate The Force Awakens, that movie was its own story but intricately linked to its predecessors. This is the same way. If you can see both back-to-back, that would be the best way to enjoy this series.
Now onto the good: the acting is great, especially from McGreggor, and Ferguson holds her own and is a layered and complex bad guy. They did great. But the biggest surprise was how good of a direct sequel to The Shining this was. Now, right off the bat, you NEED to see The Shining before this (if you haven't) for it to make sense. These two movies are glued together, especially this one. You won't see catch the brilliance if you haven't seen the original Kubrick film. Helps if you've read the book, but that's not necessary. Like or hate The Force Awakens, that movie was its own story but intricately linked to its predecessors. This is the same way. If you can see both back-to-back, that would be the best way to enjoy this series.