The Shining is Stanley Kubrick’s movie adaption of Stephen King’s novel, and Kubrick adapts his own style to develop a horror film that didn’t follow the typical conventions of the genre. The movie does move along at a painstakingly slow pace during some scenes, and if it wasn’t for the tense music that accompanies scenes then you could almost forget that the movie supposed to be a horror; compared to other horror films I’ve watched, The Shining is more similar to a thriller in my opinion. I can’t imagine many actors playing the role of Jack Torrance convincingly, but Jack Nicholson portrays a man who’s slowly losing his grip on reality excellently.  Isolation plays one of the central themes of this movie; this can be seen in the large, cavernous rooms and long empty hallways of the hotel. During his isolation, Jack begins to talk to people and imagine situations that aren’t actually there but he reacts to them naturally which shows that he can’t define what is real and what is imaginary anymore. The supernatural powers of the hotel push him toward violence and expose Jack Torrance’s latent evil. An interesting fact about the film is that Stephen King is actually one of the harshest critics of Kubrick’s film. His complaints of the film include that the characters and the substance of the movie weren’t developed enough; the film was also very personal to King’s own story because of his struggle with alcoholism and difficulties with his own children, and Kubrick didn’t capture it the same way he viewed it. 

The use of symbolism is prevalent throughout the film, and the most notable symbols for audiences to recognize are the Native American decor and the constant use of red, white, and blue. These symbols may be a reference to the bloodshed and violence that was directed towards Native American populations by the United States. In one scene, Jack can be seen throwing a ball against the walls which have Native decorations, and this can be viewed as a sign of disrespect to their culture. Currently being in an American history class, I recently just studied the atrocities committed against Native populations again, and Kubrick does well by highlighting this subtly through symbols that are clear to viewers. Another important symbol that dominates the film is blood, it can be seen in the film scenes with the dead Grady twins and the elevator releasing tides of blood. Blood represents the history of violence related to the hotel, and its continued use in the film just goes to show that they haven’t yet escaped the hotel’s cycle of hatred and violence. Even the ending to the movie is ambiguous, Jack Torrance was frozen outside while chasing Danny, and then it cuts to the final scene that zooms in a photo with a man that looks exactly like Jack; however, the photo is captioned July 4th Ball, 1921. One of the critical sources I researched for The Shining analyzed how you can interpret the ending of the movie. Some different interpretations you can take away from the film are that Jack Torrance was always part of the hotel’s history of violence or he gave his soul to the hotel once he agreed to kill his wife and child. Below is a scene that demonstrates a little bit about how Kubrick used a mixture of sound, color, and visual elements to create the atmosphere for his horror movie.

The Shining leaves many aspects of its plot open to interpretation through its use of symbolism and visuals, which makes it an interesting film to watch and analyze for meaning. Despite being a success at the box office at its release, critics at the time were not too kind towards the movies and had some negative reviews about the film, especially since it defied the norms of the horror genre. However, over the decades it has provided the foundation for many imitations and the movie’s sequel, Doctor Sleep, which came out just recently. Apparently, Stephen King was more involved in the production of Doctor Sleep and that film is a better picture of what King had intended for The Shining. Despite King’s attitude towards the film, it’s unlike many of the horror movies I’ve watched and it is a thought-provoking film that allows audiences to make their own interpretations. Although it may be lacking in the horror substance for people that enjoy the genre, its influence in the film industry is undeniable. Kubrick uses everything ranging from his application of sound to unique visual elements, such as the elevator pouring out blood, to create a new unconventional horror film. The style of the film has been imitated by other directors, and The Shining is now considered a classic.

Works Cited:

Stephen King’s Hatred For Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Explained | Cinemablend

The Shining: Ending Explained – YouTube