"The Shining" Film Review

Space Oddities Film Reviews

The Shining

(1980)

Figure.1

  Written by horror/suspense novelist, Stephen King, the basis of "The Shining" came when he was staying in a grande hotel in the mountains with his family.  Deeply inspired by Edgar Allens Poe's style of storytelling, "The Shining" is set around the deterioration of family ties and the destruction that addiction brings.  King makes many references to Poe's fable "The Masque of the Red Death", including characters identities, paraphrasing and location. Since the books release, not only has there been a film adaption (directed by Stanley Kubrick), but there are many comical paradies made from the axe scene. King released a sequel to "The Shining" called Doctor sleep in 2013, which follows Danny living though post-traumatic stress in his adult years prior the horrific events at "The Overlook" hotel. 
  
  To start this dramatic tale, after the lose of his previous teaching job, recovering alcoholic Jack goes to "The Overlook" hotel to have a job interview as a "Caretaker" for the closed months of winter. Being successful, the family proceed to move into the premises, also with the intention to give Jack the seclusion he needs to write his novel.  However, Wendy is warned by the current caretaker  Holloway, that the hotel can "twist" a weak mind, causing a previous attendant to kill their family in a psychotic  rage.  Wendy taking heed, she takes Danny and proceeds to support Jack in the role assigned to him.  As the weeks continue, Jack's attitude begins to change. He become brash, spiteful, even hysterical. He takes his foul mood out of his Wendy. she becomes fearful, remembering how Jack had broken Danny's arms in one of his drucken "punishments" before. Specters of twin young girls start to appear, haunting Danny and bringing visions of  blood filled corridors. During his exploration, Danny becomes enticed into a hotel room that was previously locked, returning catatonic and covered  in bruises all round his neck. His tellings of a strange women in the bath worries Wendy, and she sends Jack to investigate, only for him to become seduced by the ghoul. Over a period of the month, Jack falls back into alcoholism, whilst the whisperings of the previous caretaker tells him to be rid of the meddling outsiders. Holloway gets a feeling from his bedroom that something isn't right at the hotel, departing with a snowmobile to investigate.  Finally succumbing to the whispering of the ghosts, Jack loses his mentally and chases Danny and Wendy in a murderous rage.  Following the death of Holloway, the chase concluded in the maze, with Jack chasing Danny. Jack loses Danny's trail and become frozen, losing his life to hypothermia. Some month later, Jack is found frozen with a maniacal smile on his face.

Figure.2

  Jack (played by Jack Nicholson) starts as a regular down-on-his-luck guy, who is also in denial about his addiction problems. Perceived as once a brute and alcoholic, during his hallucination he is weak-willed in the sway of temptation. In taking on the job in pursuit of seclusion, he can also be seen as selfish. In desperate attempt to save from divorce, he uproots his whole family in pursuit of  saving his marriage but also in chasing his writing ambitions. In the periods of losing his sanity, the previous caretaker is often  present, he acts a mirror to Jacks inhibitions and accelerations his deterioration. The previous caretaker is a darker persona of Jack, and Nicholson plays the fall from sanity perfectly.

"When Jack thinks he is seeing other people, there is always a mirror present; he may be talking with himself" 

  R.Egbert - rogereburt.com

  Wendy comes across as quiet and withdrawn, with a downtrodden appearance. When Jack has his outbursts during his decent, she flinches ans steps away from his. She shows signs of previous abuse and is alway weary of what Jack could do. She doesn't trust her husband, and is quick to accuse him of hurting their son when bruises appear around his neck. Danny reflection of previous makes him vulnerable to the horrors hidden in the walls of the hotel, constantly seeing blood and spectres.  In moments of crucial reveal, Danny has the over exaggerated facial expression of shock/horror. these over-the-top faces have a dark-comic appeal. 


"The Overlook" hotel, both grand and vast is decorated in typical 80's style decor. Full of patterns that's clash against each other, the environment seems to stretch as Jack's mentals state declines. The lighting becomes colder, reflecting the harshness of isolation. The constant reminder of death is decorated though the blood rushing down the walls and elevator, the patterns of the interior are subtler in colour compared to the stark richness of the red. As the hotel is so bare, there isn't much sound, only the haunting echoes of footsteps and white static, bring the spense to be much higher. The isolation of the hotel is a reflection of unfulfillment to Jack. He is lost in life, haunted by his own actions and feels as hollow as the hallways around him.

"But the place is drenched in the memory of a violent past, and the horror and trauma rise inexorably to the surface." 

Figure.3

  P.Bradshaw - theguardian.com.

 As a whole this movie is the perfect representation of psychological stagnation, drawing on not only the unknown but terror of realism. The hotel itself the perfect set for revolution and pain. The  emptiness a constant reminder of Jacks violent tendencies, and how his dependency on alcohol changes him into a monster. Like many if Kings' fables, the hotel is based on a indian burial ground, adding that extra layer of unsurety. The hotel being surrounded by snow covered mountains makes thought of escape near impossible, unless a someone waa to come to their rescue.  Jacks final scene being found frozen months later with his unhinged smile gives that small element of dark humor, and the bathroom scene is often replicated in comedies. For a first time watch, this films underlying psychologies was interesting, but much of the talking scene was far too drawn out. 

"Alive with portent and symbolism, every frame of the film brims with Kubrick's genius for implying psychological purpose in setting: the hotel's tight, sinister labyrinth of corridors; its cold, sterile bathrooms; the lavish, illusionary ballroom"

  I.Nathen - empireonline.com

Bibliography

• -Ebert, R. (2006). The Shining movie review & film summary (1980) | Roger Ebert. [online] Rogerebert.com. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-shining-1980 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2019].

• Bradshaw, P. (2012). The Shining – review. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/01/the-shining-review [Accessed 31 Dec. 2019].

•  Nathen, I. (2012). The Shining. [online] Empire. Available at: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shining-2-review/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2019].

Image Bibliography

• Figure.1 - Norris.D. (2018). Movie Poster Movement – The Shining - Horror Land - Horror Entertainment Articles and Videos. [online] Available at: https://www.horror.land/movie-poster-movement-the-shining/#gallery/a75ca398e6292db9a9978250c3ac6bd2/1061 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2019].

• Figure.2 - Kaun, N. (2018). Movie Poster Movement – The Shining - Horror Land - Horror Entertainment Articles and Videos. [online] Horror Land - Horror Entertainment Articles and Videos. Available at: https://www.horror.land/movie-poster-movement-the-shining/#gallery/a75ca398e6292db9a9978250c3ac6bd2/1079 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2019].

• Figure.3 - Hodge.T. (2018). Movie Poster Movement – The Shining - Horror Land - Horror Entertainment Articles and Videos. [online] Available at: https://www.horror.land/movie-poster-movement-the-shining/#gallery/a75ca398e6292db9a9978250c3ac6bd2/1089 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2019].