The Shining (Film): Still A Harrowing Tale of Isolation and Suspense 39 Years Later

My first exposure to modern horror films came in the form of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, based upon the Steven King novel of the same name. It's unabashedly a very different film than the source material, and having a drastically different set of themes than the book, and of course it's still a fantastic film. It's a quiet film, notable for removing the safety of daylight and isolation of the setting, in addition to maintaining secrecy, and thus maintaining fear in the narrative. I would argue that it's all the more exceptional today among modern horror films as we seem to be stuck in a rut of spiritual horror flicks.

Danny's tricycle-bound exploration of The Overlook are one of the few less-tense aspects of the film, offering a brief sort of respite from dread and terror, but there's none to be found in the jaws of The Overlook. 

We all know the story of The Shining film at this point. A man and his family are hired by the manager of the Overlook Hotel to act as caretakers and maintenance people for the winter, but something's not quite right. Increasingly the Overlook manifests frightening supernatural events and begins to bend Jack Torrance (The father, played masterfully by Jack Nicholson) to its sinister will, eventually convincing him to attempt to murder his family. It's only due to the bravery of Wendy and their son Danny in addition to his premonitions and psychic ability that saves two thirds of the Torrance family. It's a tightly-wound story, unusual in that much of the scenes don't have much of a point in the overarching narrative, which is particularly effective in building tension and fright (I couldn't watch this in a single sitting when I was thirteen for this reason). However, this is one of the few films that I would advise reading the original book before, for while there are large differences in how the plot unfolds, it gives a glimpse into the greater story of the Overlook that's only hinted at in the film on top of providing context to the various apparitions that are seen throughout the film, such as the Woman in the Bathtub, et al. The themes of The Shining are pretty much a choose-your-take, with pretty much any reading of the film being at least semi-justifiable. There's the addiction reading, which states that Jack's descent into murderous madness is a metaphor for the pressure that an addicted family member puts upon the unit as a whole, with sometimes tragic consequences brought on by stress, relapse, withdrawal, or financial ruin. There's the historical reading, which is essentially that the events of the past have modern ramifications, even if the two aren't particularly related at all, such as the oppression of Native Americans, the building of a hotel, and the deaths of gangsters years later. The domestic abuse reading is the most straightforward, with Wendy and Danny, two vulnerable people, being isolated (literally in this case) by a significant other who holds financial and physical power over them. They find themselves in a situation which supernatural events notwithstanding, many people around the world find themselves in even today. The last reading I could come up with was the family reading, in which Jack finds himself cut out of his family due to his limited contact and bonding with them. Notice how throughout the film Jack practically never interacts with Danny, and frequently declines spending time with his family, preferring his own company. In short, Wendy and Danny outgrow the 'need', or more likely the desire for Jack's reluctant company, so they metaphorically cut him loose. The Shining could be any one of these, or could be just another ghost story that was executed superbly, it's really up to the viewer's interpretation.

Even as we meet him, Jack Nicholson's occasionally cartoonish mannerisms of Jack Torrance is a tad jarring, like the happy face is just an act.

In terms of execution, The Shining is just as masterful as it was thirty-nine years ago, but in my most recent viewing of it I noticed some things I did not before. First off, the camerawork definitely has a recurring element of stalker movement. Not only with the famous shots of the camera following (or pursuing?) Danny as he trikes around the Overlook, with Jack and Wendy the camera also follows with a vaguely uncomfortable distance from the subject. It not only heightens the tension of their respective scenes as you wonder if something terrible will befall them, but it also allows the audience to get a subjective perspective of the character, for while we never know what they're thinking we can see exactly what they see. We also get a handful of first-person shots, which are some of tensest parts of the film. The editing is subtle, with few fancy tricks but many snap cuts, such as Jack's two conversations with Lloyd and Danny's initial premonitions, which are uniquely startling. The soundtrack, while eerie with a recurring mix electric organ, strings, piano and percussion (In additional to ghostly chanting, moaning, and screaming), there's also a wandering quality to it before the climax. This wandering feeling could be equally attributed to the spirit of the Overlook or Jack's deteriorating mental state, but regardless it's unique. Beyond these there are some elements/techniques that haven't aged so well, some of the transitions aren't perfect and occasionally there's noticeable camera-shake but that's more a consequence of the technology of the day. If anything it's a commentary on how well the film has aged technically that minute camera shakes are my sole complaint.

I love the look of The Overlook, and to be quite honest I would love to be snowed in for the winter in its empty halls. I guess I have a thing for frozen isolation, huh?

Of course The Shining is worth watching/rewatching, it's a timeless film that maintains its terror throughout its runtime and over the course of almost four decades. I admit that it's somewhat loaded that I'd choose to review this film, given its quality, but at the same time there's always more to be said about it. It also deserves credit for perversely kickstarting my fantasies of being an off-season caretaker of a seasonal hotel, go figure. For certain the book is well-worth reading before, but it's by no means mandatory to enjoy the film, only to better understand the film's plot. It's also just a good horror movie and a great introduction to the genre, and in the modern era of ghost-filled schlock we seem to be exclusively getting these days it's always good to see a supernatural/domestic horror done right.