the first rule of film

1980, 144 mins

isolation. deterioration. madness.

The Shining is not a difficult story to understand. Themes such as instability, distress, family breakdown, supernatural force and domestic violence are clearly at the forefront, so why do people argue this isn’t a ‘good’ horror? Whether its the Stephen King fans angry with Kubrick’s harsh disregard for hundreds of the books’ features or the public simply finding the slow pace too boring, I do not believe for a SECOND The Shining deserves this criticism.

Husband Jack, wife Wendy and their son Danny, travel to the Colorado Rockies to live in the Overlook Hotel, whilst Jack takes over as caretaker. As the Hotel reveals its unsettling nature in the form of creepy twins, blood gushing out of elevators and a decrepit ugly woman in room 237, its supernatural feel and violent history begin to take a toll on Jack’s sanity with Wendy and Danny eventually fighting for survival.

Despite the films unconventional pacing, the films structure can be identified in the form of three-acts. The set-up consists of the family’s arrival at the Hotel, subsequent greeting by Ullman (the hotel manager) and introduction of Hallorran, someone who shares a similar gift to Danny, the ‘shine.’ Once the family had settled into their new roles, the next act can be signalled by Jack’s trip to the Gold Room, where he breaks his sober streak and comes into contact with his first spirit. From here, long drones and anxiety inducing string instruments form the avant-garde soundtrack that leads us nicely into the descent of chaos that is the maze chase and Danny and Wendy’s fight for freedom.

The sound design is one of the strongest and most significant of the films elements. In a strange yet experimental combination of electronic and classical sound, Kubrick is able to mimic the anticipation and fear of Wendy and Danny, and allude to the lack of resolution to Jack’s madness. Paired with harsh lighting, a mostly red colour pallet and dramatic cuts to close up frames, every sound in this film becomes a warning. From tracking Jack walking through corridors, to Danny wheeling down them Kubrick’s use of the stedicam helps to perfect the long, slow shots that help portray this ghostly calm seen throughout the hotels interior. Only when these shots are broken up by close, intimate frames of Danny’s terrified face or Jack’s sinister one, are viewers given a ‘jump-scare.’ What successfully separates The Shining from a modern horror is the use of jump-scares as symbolic not literal. Danny’s visions are mostly used to disrupt the narrative unconventionally whilst signalling impending danger.

If I was to highlight one performance from this film, it would be Miss Shelly Duvall’s. Wendy’s raw emotional expression creates a realism so beautifully constructed that viewers grasp a true understanding of her sustained anxiety. The lack of cinematic purpose or over exaggeration to her reactions reveals just why Duvall’s performance is one of the most defining in the genres history. Despite only being 6 years old during filming, Danny Lloyd also proves the effectiveness in not being so theatrical that his character appears unrealistic. Instead Danny’s stillness, silence and compliance to his visions and invisible force named Tony, only makes the supernatural scarier and more eerie. Riddled with volatility is Jack Torrance. Nicholson plays the antagonist hauntingly, creating this character by cleverly mixing charisma with unpredictability to demonstrate Jack’s insanity through a strangely expressionistic manner and fast speech. It would be wrong to suggest this performance was also the most defiant of the decade.

Contextually, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, dumps a lot of elements from its original source published in 1977. As a consumer of both mediums, it is always difficult to compare the novel with the film product. I think the fact that after the films initial release it received a mixed reception is an indicator as to why this film doesn’t appeal to everyone. Personally, the book and film are completely different genres hence why I don’t believe they are comparable. Whilst King sets up a distinctly supernatural horror, Kubrick wanted to construct a psychological piece with a stronger allusion to important themes such as racism, colonialism and patriarchy. By swapping King’s moving ‘hedge animals’ for creepy twins, it is clear Kubrick is telling a ghost story not a science horror. My only issue remains with Dick Hallorran’s character whose presence in the film is only to separate Danny’s ‘insanity’ or visions from Jack’s madness despite both being psychologically distressed. Other than this, he is virtually useless which is an insult to his heroic nature in the book.

As mentioned previously, Kubrick clearly has intentions to enlighten viewers surrounding important themes (that are still raised in the book.) Whilst the issue of patriarchy is arguably the most obvious given Jack’s easily identifiable struggle with the expectations he is meant to uphold as the ‘man’, deeper cuts involve classism, racism and the genocide of Native Americans. Whilst the final shot of Jack amongst the hotel guests in 1921 and racially offensive terms used to describe Hallorran, reveals the classist nature of white American’s, Kubrick’s nod towards the colonialisation of Native American’s in often missed upon first watch. In the film’s first few minutes, Stuart Ullman, the hotel manager, states the Overlook was built on an indigenous burial ground, serving as an allegory for the white imperialism of American beginning as early as the 1700s.

Ultimately, The Shining has lingered as one of the most appreciated films of psychological horror for so many years because of its brutal detachment from the novel. Only a director such as Kubrick is unafraid to deter from the source material to form something so memorable in such a established and specialised genre.

Loved it.