The Shining movie review
Film title: The
Shining
Year of production: 1980
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Psychological horror
Year of production: 1980
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Psychological horror
Brief plot outline
Jack Torrance, an author, takes on the job as an off-season caretaker at the foreboding Overlook Hotel and moves in with his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny who has mysterious hallucinations and an imaginary friend. During the 5 months they are there, Jack’s mental condition deteriorates and influenced by supernatural visions he descends into madness and tries to murder his wife and son.
Jack Torrance, an author, takes on the job as an off-season caretaker at the foreboding Overlook Hotel and moves in with his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny who has mysterious hallucinations and an imaginary friend. During the 5 months they are there, Jack’s mental condition deteriorates and influenced by supernatural visions he descends into madness and tries to murder his wife and son.
Which two scenes impress you the most and why?
The first scene that impressed me was the iconic “Here’s Johnny” scene where a mad Jack Torrance has cornered his wife in a bathroom and after he chops a hole in the door he shouts “HEREEE’SS JOHNNY”. Looking at the historical context of this phrase, it was first used by Ed McMahon in ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’ a popular show in America and has connotations of comedy and entertainment attached to it. When Torrance uses it, it has connotations of fear and evil, but if we take into account the comedy connotation, it represents that Torrance is enjoying the madness and sees it as comedic and entertaining. The scene is also edited to be a quick paced montage, and quickly cuts between shots of Jack cutting the door and Wendy screaming. The music in the scene is parallel and has haunting connotations that put the audience on edge and make them fear Jack and his menacing actions. Looking at the cinematography of the scene, the close up of Jack’s face creates connotations of panic and fear for the audience and represents that he’s a mad and unstoppable force.
The second scene that impressed me was Danny’s hallucination of the Grady twins’ murder which primarily uses the editing technique of collision cutting between a shot of the girls standing still and laying dead on the floor. This cut makes use of the Kuleshov effect as it switches between a peaceful and calm shot of the Grady girls, to a horrible one of their death, extreme body horror and an axe which leaves the audience to put the two shots together to form a restricted narration. The girls are also symmetrically composed centre frame, when using the rule of thirds, to make them the main focus of the shot. This symmetrical composure is also seen throughout the film, often with corridors and shots of the carpet to make the hotel have connotations of nightmares and imprisonment with claustrophobic corridors adding to the confusing maze like representation of the Overlook Hotel.
The first scene that impressed me was the iconic “Here’s Johnny” scene where a mad Jack Torrance has cornered his wife in a bathroom and after he chops a hole in the door he shouts “HEREEE’SS JOHNNY”. Looking at the historical context of this phrase, it was first used by Ed McMahon in ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’ a popular show in America and has connotations of comedy and entertainment attached to it. When Torrance uses it, it has connotations of fear and evil, but if we take into account the comedy connotation, it represents that Torrance is enjoying the madness and sees it as comedic and entertaining. The scene is also edited to be a quick paced montage, and quickly cuts between shots of Jack cutting the door and Wendy screaming. The music in the scene is parallel and has haunting connotations that put the audience on edge and make them fear Jack and his menacing actions. Looking at the cinematography of the scene, the close up of Jack’s face creates connotations of panic and fear for the audience and represents that he’s a mad and unstoppable force.
The second scene that impressed me was Danny’s hallucination of the Grady twins’ murder which primarily uses the editing technique of collision cutting between a shot of the girls standing still and laying dead on the floor. This cut makes use of the Kuleshov effect as it switches between a peaceful and calm shot of the Grady girls, to a horrible one of their death, extreme body horror and an axe which leaves the audience to put the two shots together to form a restricted narration. The girls are also symmetrically composed centre frame, when using the rule of thirds, to make them the main focus of the shot. This symmetrical composure is also seen throughout the film, often with corridors and shots of the carpet to make the hotel have connotations of nightmares and imprisonment with claustrophobic corridors adding to the confusing maze like representation of the Overlook Hotel.
How has watching the film helped me
understand this genre?
This film was conventional to the horror genre and used many of the conventions across characters, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing. For the character conventions, Jack Torrance fulfils the roll of the psycho serial killer, whilst Wendy takes the role of final girl as she escapes the Overlook Hotel with Danny. For mise-en-scene there’s body horror when Haldermann gets hit by the axe and the hotel also features as a creepy location. Some of the cinematography techniques used include a point of view shot when the door to room 237 is opened and use of the new piece of equipment, a Steadicam. This is notably used for tracking shots of Danny when he cycles around the Overlook hotel. The film also uses primarily parallel sound to reinforce the creepy connotations of the hotel. The film also covers ideologies like sexism towards women, with Jack’s sadistic nature towards Wendy and has an open ending by showing Jack in the photo taken in 1922 before the events of the film take place to connote a sense of mystery and suspense leaving the audience to theorize about what it all means.
This film was conventional to the horror genre and used many of the conventions across characters, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing. For the character conventions, Jack Torrance fulfils the roll of the psycho serial killer, whilst Wendy takes the role of final girl as she escapes the Overlook Hotel with Danny. For mise-en-scene there’s body horror when Haldermann gets hit by the axe and the hotel also features as a creepy location. Some of the cinematography techniques used include a point of view shot when the door to room 237 is opened and use of the new piece of equipment, a Steadicam. This is notably used for tracking shots of Danny when he cycles around the Overlook hotel. The film also uses primarily parallel sound to reinforce the creepy connotations of the hotel. The film also covers ideologies like sexism towards women, with Jack’s sadistic nature towards Wendy and has an open ending by showing Jack in the photo taken in 1922 before the events of the film take place to connote a sense of mystery and suspense leaving the audience to theorize about what it all means.
Which aspects of the film would you like to
include in your own trailer?
I’d like to include the same volume of violence and body horror using examples like Haldermann’s death to inspire the planned death scenes we want to make in our trailer. Other aspects of the film I want to include is a deep story that’s brimming with suspense and supernatural threat and a claustrophobic chase scene between the psycho killer and a victim. All of these are conventional to the action and psychological horror genre which I would also try to represent in my trailer.
I’d like to include the same volume of violence and body horror using examples like Haldermann’s death to inspire the planned death scenes we want to make in our trailer. Other aspects of the film I want to include is a deep story that’s brimming with suspense and supernatural threat and a claustrophobic chase scene between the psycho killer and a victim. All of these are conventional to the action and psychological horror genre which I would also try to represent in my trailer.
Which aspects of the film would you like to
avoid in your own trailer?
Aspects of the film I’d like to avoid in my trailer include the long build-up of the first 2 acts as trailers need to be fast paced in order to attract the audience’s attention and the slow pace would not attract target audience members. One scene from the film that felt too drawn out was the tour of the hotel that dominated the majority of the first act of the film.
Aspects of the film I’d like to avoid in my trailer include the long build-up of the first 2 acts as trailers need to be fast paced in order to attract the audience’s attention and the slow pace would not attract target audience members. One scene from the film that felt too drawn out was the tour of the hotel that dominated the majority of the first act of the film.
What was the best aspect/more enjoyable
moment in the film and can it be recreated in your film?
For me, the most enjoyable aspect of the film was the slow mental disintegration of Torrance and the way the theme of isolation, paranoia and anxiety combined to make him hallucinate, which could be recreated in my trailer as the Priest starts to hallucinate due to the isolation, paranoia and anxiety he feels at the church.
For me, the most enjoyable aspect of the film was the slow mental disintegration of Torrance and the way the theme of isolation, paranoia and anxiety combined to make him hallucinate, which could be recreated in my trailer as the Priest starts to hallucinate due to the isolation, paranoia and anxiety he feels at the church.
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