The Shining - where I prove once again that I am a Kubrick fangirl forever.
The Shining
1980
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall
So I recently made the decision to rewatch The Shining. At my parents’ cottage. In the middle of the woods. At night.
With absolutely no one else around.
Seriously, whose bright idea was that?
After turning all the lights on in the cottage and putting on something stupid and cheery (I believe I opted for Project Runway), I then thought about The Shining. Because of course, I’ve seen The Shining before, but only once before beginning to end. I usually catch an odd scene or two on cable TV, not rewatch the whole thing in total. In rewatching the entire film, I kept on thinking about the horror of the film. Where is the horror? This is a very odd horror film in that the horror is so unobvious. When the horror starts during the opening credits as you’re watching these incredibly gorgeous helicopter shots of a car driving through mountains, you know this is an atypical horror film.
Where is the horror?
The photography. I’m mad about Kubrick, I’ll admit that right now, so for me, I love the horror of Kubrick’s photography. The Steadicam shots, the Steadicam shots, the Steadicam shots. To me, that is the horror in this film. The unnerving way the camera follows everyone around in perfectly symmetric shots. The walls literally closing in on you from each side. And then, the camera following Danny around in that damned freaky as all get out Big Wheels. *shudder* Wow, that creeps me out! What’s so creepy about the freaky Big Wheels is two things: one, Kubrick cuts all soundtrack and all you hear is the sound of the wheels. The alternating between wheels on hardwood and wheels on carpet is, frankly, unnerving. Two, Kubrick shoots these scenes from the floor so that we are literally only about 12 inches above the ground. We are truly at Danny’s vantage point, and we realize what a vulnerable position he’s in.
Where else is the horror?
Whoever thought a black screen with the word “MONDAY” in capital white letters could be so frightening? The smash cuts going from scenes of life at the remote Overlook Hotel to, so suddenly, all black screens with words on them is really, really creepy. Each of these smash cuts are so unexpected that they catch you off guard, and a small jolt of adrenaline runs through you at the appearance of each one. Meaning that each one scares you. A black screen. With white words on it. SCARY! This is Kubrick, people! This is not typical horror!
Where else is the horror?
Jack’s slow descent into madness, of course. That’s where so much horror of this film is derived, watching a normal if somewhat troubled man make the frightening descent into homicidal madness. Watching his behavior become slowly more erratic and violent is a breathlessly tantalizing build. You know the outcome; everyone does. But it is the journey, not the outcome, which is exciting. The sudden appearance of ghosts (are they ghosts?) from the hotel’s past is deeply unsettling, not least of which for the fact that Jack doesn’t blink at all when there is suddenly a bartender behind the previously empty bar. Or the fact that he comes across a man who murdered his family then killed himself in the mens room. Has there ever been scarier use of the word “corrected?” No. There has not.
Where is the horror?
Color, color, color, color. Kubrick is the only director I know who can make a horror film that is shockingly well lit. He doesn’t have to resort to washed out colors, blues, greys, and blacks to set his scene. He is supremely confident in his ability to create horror using things other than shadow and creepy colors. Has bright red ever been creepier than when Jack is in the bathroom with the former caretaker? No, and it’s not because it’s just a hint of red. It’s because it’s completely everywhere. It’s also surrounded by fluorescent lighting. The brightness of the scene is shocking, as is the admission from the former caretaker. That scene in the bathroom is quite possibly one of my favorite Kubrick scenes ever. It excites me, it thrills me, it turns me on, and I don’t say that lightly. So much of the reason why it turns me on is the fantastic use of lighting and color. Similarly, when Danny is playing on that amazing, graphic, colored carpet and the camera pans back, the effect of the color and the pattern is simply breathtaking. Too few horror films go beyond the realm of blues and greys and the occasional red blood, making The Shining really stand apart.
To me, what makes The Shining ultimately a fantastic horror film is that it’s Kubrick’s take on horror. What I adore so much about Kubrick’s oeuvre is that he decided to tackle different genres in his career. He never put himself in a single category. He experimented with the very concept of genre. 2001: Stanley Kubrick does scifi. Barry Lyndon: Stanley Kubrick does a costume drama. Dr. Strangelove: Stanley Kubrick does a comedy. Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket: Stanley Kubrick does a war flick. (I’m still not quite sure what genre A Clockwork Orange is, but that’s a different discussion for a different day.) And The Shining is his entry into horror films. It’s an incredibly traditional horror tale - one man’s descent into madness and violence - but it’s done in such a nontraditional manner, it can’t help but be pure Kubrick. Kubrick is exciting, Kubrick is vibrant, Kubrick is fascinating. And when Kubrick does horror, yeah, it creeps you out.
1980
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall
So I recently made the decision to rewatch The Shining. At my parents’ cottage. In the middle of the woods. At night.
With absolutely no one else around.
Seriously, whose bright idea was that?
After turning all the lights on in the cottage and putting on something stupid and cheery (I believe I opted for Project Runway), I then thought about The Shining. Because of course, I’ve seen The Shining before, but only once before beginning to end. I usually catch an odd scene or two on cable TV, not rewatch the whole thing in total. In rewatching the entire film, I kept on thinking about the horror of the film. Where is the horror? This is a very odd horror film in that the horror is so unobvious. When the horror starts during the opening credits as you’re watching these incredibly gorgeous helicopter shots of a car driving through mountains, you know this is an atypical horror film.
Where is the horror?
The photography. I’m mad about Kubrick, I’ll admit that right now, so for me, I love the horror of Kubrick’s photography. The Steadicam shots, the Steadicam shots, the Steadicam shots. To me, that is the horror in this film. The unnerving way the camera follows everyone around in perfectly symmetric shots. The walls literally closing in on you from each side. And then, the camera following Danny around in that damned freaky as all get out Big Wheels. *shudder* Wow, that creeps me out! What’s so creepy about the freaky Big Wheels is two things: one, Kubrick cuts all soundtrack and all you hear is the sound of the wheels. The alternating between wheels on hardwood and wheels on carpet is, frankly, unnerving. Two, Kubrick shoots these scenes from the floor so that we are literally only about 12 inches above the ground. We are truly at Danny’s vantage point, and we realize what a vulnerable position he’s in.
Where else is the horror?
Whoever thought a black screen with the word “MONDAY” in capital white letters could be so frightening? The smash cuts going from scenes of life at the remote Overlook Hotel to, so suddenly, all black screens with words on them is really, really creepy. Each of these smash cuts are so unexpected that they catch you off guard, and a small jolt of adrenaline runs through you at the appearance of each one. Meaning that each one scares you. A black screen. With white words on it. SCARY! This is Kubrick, people! This is not typical horror!
Where else is the horror?
Jack’s slow descent into madness, of course. That’s where so much horror of this film is derived, watching a normal if somewhat troubled man make the frightening descent into homicidal madness. Watching his behavior become slowly more erratic and violent is a breathlessly tantalizing build. You know the outcome; everyone does. But it is the journey, not the outcome, which is exciting. The sudden appearance of ghosts (are they ghosts?) from the hotel’s past is deeply unsettling, not least of which for the fact that Jack doesn’t blink at all when there is suddenly a bartender behind the previously empty bar. Or the fact that he comes across a man who murdered his family then killed himself in the mens room. Has there ever been scarier use of the word “corrected?” No. There has not.
Where is the horror?
Color, color, color, color. Kubrick is the only director I know who can make a horror film that is shockingly well lit. He doesn’t have to resort to washed out colors, blues, greys, and blacks to set his scene. He is supremely confident in his ability to create horror using things other than shadow and creepy colors. Has bright red ever been creepier than when Jack is in the bathroom with the former caretaker? No, and it’s not because it’s just a hint of red. It’s because it’s completely everywhere. It’s also surrounded by fluorescent lighting. The brightness of the scene is shocking, as is the admission from the former caretaker. That scene in the bathroom is quite possibly one of my favorite Kubrick scenes ever. It excites me, it thrills me, it turns me on, and I don’t say that lightly. So much of the reason why it turns me on is the fantastic use of lighting and color. Similarly, when Danny is playing on that amazing, graphic, colored carpet and the camera pans back, the effect of the color and the pattern is simply breathtaking. Too few horror films go beyond the realm of blues and greys and the occasional red blood, making The Shining really stand apart.
To me, what makes The Shining ultimately a fantastic horror film is that it’s Kubrick’s take on horror. What I adore so much about Kubrick’s oeuvre is that he decided to tackle different genres in his career. He never put himself in a single category. He experimented with the very concept of genre. 2001: Stanley Kubrick does scifi. Barry Lyndon: Stanley Kubrick does a costume drama. Dr. Strangelove: Stanley Kubrick does a comedy. Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket: Stanley Kubrick does a war flick. (I’m still not quite sure what genre A Clockwork Orange is, but that’s a different discussion for a different day.) And The Shining is his entry into horror films. It’s an incredibly traditional horror tale - one man’s descent into madness and violence - but it’s done in such a nontraditional manner, it can’t help but be pure Kubrick. Kubrick is exciting, Kubrick is vibrant, Kubrick is fascinating. And when Kubrick does horror, yeah, it creeps you out.