Analysis of The Shining, by Stanley Kubrick Essay

Horror is the genre that keeps the reader on their toes for nights upon end. It keeps them thinking. Thinking about how cruel and disturbing someone, or something, could possibly be. Thinking about what in the world happens to a character after the story drops off in a cliffhanger. Thinking about the probability that the events in the narrative could transpire in real life. Thinking about how likely it is for those things to happen to the reader. Refusing to look out their window in fear of seeing the glimpse of a murderous face, and listening to every sound with acute accuracy, praying that the noise is not one of a stranger creeping up the stairs. Scary accounts make the reader live in fear whenever the

Horror, what is it, according to literary historian J.A. Cuddon, it is “a piece of fiction in prose of variable length…which shocks or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing.” This sets the guidelines for how the generic horror piece is written, as long as it can scare the reader in one sense or the other, or cause them to loath a certain part or character, then it can be called horror. The horror today has roots stemming from old folklore and religious traditions which had elements that dealt with death, the afterlife, and the demonic, along with the things or thing that embody a person. Horror during the 18th century was called gothic horror and this particular type of horror was invented in the

For many, isolation is a terrible thing and can lead to madness. Dictatorships prosecute individuals who do not agree with the government and sentence them to imprisonment in solitary confinement. Isolation is a form of torture and it causes insanity. The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, is a truly interesting case study of human psychology and how the descent of an individual into the depths of insanity can cause them to experience creepy and vivid ghostly encounters, which do not actually physically occur but rather originate from within the depths of the person’s psyche. Examples of such hallucinated encounters surround the main character, Jack Torrance, who, as the movie progresses, transfigures into the deranged antagonist the persons see at the end of the movie chasing his family with an axe. Jack’s psyche and subconscious mind produce visions and ghostly apparitions, all of which embody Jack’s deep violent desires. Jack seems to suffer from a split personality disorder, which is intensified by his loneliness, emotional instability, and feelings of isolation. Jack’s mind is literally falling apart.

Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film production of the Anthony Burgess novel, A Clockwork Orange, is a truly unforgettable film.  It is narrated by one of the most vicious characters ever put on screen, Alex DeLarge.  The promotional poster for the film advertised it as "The adventures of a young man whose principle interests are rape, ultra-violence, and Beethoven" (Dirks 1).  Needless to say, music plays a very important role in A Clockwork Orange.  The expressive use of music in this film gives the viewer a look into the psyche of the vicious Alex, a psyche that equates violence with art.  By doing so, the film shows us the complexity and duality of the human mind through a character who loves both

In the end of the novel, Jack’s frail mind caused from his extreme thirst for alcohol and his abusive childhood from his father end up being his inevitable downfall. Jack’s mind becomes completely filled with hatred for his family and the yearning for them to suffer, he becomes blinded with rage. The reader’s begin to root for Wendy and Danny as they escape Jack’s grasp; leaving behind the exploding remains of the Outlook Hotel and a once beloved member of their family.

What is a horror? What does it mean to be terrified? The definition of a horror fiction is "fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle, or horrify the reader." Since the 1960s, any work of fiction with a morbid, gruesome, surreal, or exceptionally suspenseful or frightening theme has come to be called "horror" (Wikipedia) . "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a great example of a story on the basic level of a gothic horror, in which the element of fear is evoked in its highest form. There are many different elements, such as setting, feelings, themes, and characters, that play an essential role in suggesting this.

In 1956, Kubrick directed his first studio picture, The Killing with a screenplay by Jim Thompson. This was his first artistic success and it brought him to the attention of MGM production head Dore Share. In 1957, Kubricks hot Paths of Glory, which was rejected by many studios until Kirk Douglas decided to star in the film. This led to a much-needed financing deal with United Artists. The film won considerable critical acclaim and promoted Kubrick’s reputation as a rising talent.

Stephen King’s The Shining has maintained its cult status since its release in 1977. The Shining begins with Jack Torrance receiving a position as the winter caretaker for The Overlook Hotel, an isolated hotel in the Colorado Rockies. Jack hopes the stay will be therapeutic and allow him to focus on writing, family, and less on alcohol. As time progresses, unsettling events begin to transpire for Jack, his son Danny, and his wife Wendy. The intensity of the gothic novel came to life by the legendary Stanley Kubrick in 1980. The book was admired by fans, but Kubrick’s reimagining made it the iconic classic that it is today. Stephen King was not as fond of the movie. Although some of Kubrick’s take on The Shining complements the book, King

A girl runs frantically through the woods trying to escape an axe wielding villain. The defenseless victim suddenly trips and collapses to the ground. The villain laughs wickedly as he lifts the axe above his head. The girl releases a final scream as the weapon quickly ends her life, causing the audience to go silent as they watch the villain drag away the lifeless body. Death, blood, guts, suspense, screaming, and terror are all just a few things to expect when watching a modern day horror film. What is horror? Horror can be defined as an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. (Wilson) The description of horror is not very pleasant, but for some reason horror films are extremely popular. Why is this so? People are addicted to the

A number of strange incidents occur throughout the story. Jack finds a wasps' nest while maintaining the roof, uses an appropriate wasp bomb on it, and puts it in Danny's room. That night, although Jack had checked there were no wasps still in the nest, Danny is stung several times, and when Jack manages to put a bowl over the nest, there are many wasps trapped inside. Then in an almost hypnotic fit after spending too much time going through the hotel's papers in the boiler room, Jack smashes the radio, effectively cutting them off from the rest of the world as snow has fallen heavily, and reaching the nearest town has become impossible except by snowmobile.

Horror is designed to scare, cause alarm and dread, while also entertaining the audience at the same time in a cathartic experience (Dirk, 2016). Horror films are meant for a specific type of audience that enjoy scary films. Dirks (Tim, 2016) approach to genre horror, is that films went back as 100 years ago, from the earliest days our vivid imagination in seeing ghosts in the shadows to be connected emotionally of the unknown, and fear things that are improbable. You watch a horror film, it makes you aware of the scary surroundings, the essence of fear itself, without actually being in any sorts of danger. Dirks argues that there is a fun and thrill factor in being frightened, or watching something disturbing. It gives you that feeling of an adrenaline rush, as well as having that feeling someone is actually next to you lurking in the dark (Dirk, 2016).

In contrast, Manfred in The Castle of Otranto, is stupefied for a time into insane behavior, but then, is brought around to sanity after stabbing his daughter, as shown in this quotation here: “Manfred, waking as from a trance, beat his breast, twisted his hands in his locks…” (100). In this excerpt, Manfred is shown feeling remorse and regret in his actions, confirming his change back to sanity. Kubrick in The Shining however, makes the film much more terrorizing for audiences, as Jack never shows remorse, but instead, continually and purposefully pursues his family with an axe. At this scene in the film, the audience knows that Jack, although at one point a regular family man, is beyond reverting back to his previous sane state, increasing despair within audiences. The expression of Jack’s unperturbed insanity in the film furthermore requires the audience to reflect on their own lives, and realize that within every family is the possibility of

When we think about horror, we think about death and bad things happening to good people. Horror gives a face to material that generally does not have a face. It gets our blood flowing and you cannot stop thinking about it. When is the next bad thing going to happen? Who is it going to happen to? It allows our minds to be creative and picture what we want. It kind of follows the idea that we are not at the top of the food chain like we always are and most people find that scary. Matthew Lewis does a wonderful job of depicting horror in The Monk.

The classic elements were invented by Horace Walpole in 1764 in his novel The Castle Of Qtranto. These elements have been used in a variety of ways in different aspects books films short stories even today. Stephen King uses these elements in his novel The Shining alternating them to fit his needs.

Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick’s versions of The Shining both present an enigma of containing an evil hierarchy that revels in the face of tragedy. The novel contains several allusions to Edgar Allen Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, a short story about a the wealthy having an incessant ball during a plague. The Shining provides an extension of this story, depicting a vulnerable, poor family isolated in an opulent, immortal hotel that consumes and infects the most vulnerable of them all, Jack Torrence. While Kubrick’s film largely ignores the party that is integral to King’s novel, he does set up an elitist cult that takes advantage of suffering and builds a fortress out of its victims’ lives. King veers towards illustrating the destruction of such a system and puts more attention on the survival of the oppressed. King and Kubrick both portray a system that exploits and infects the vulnerable to achieve self-preservation.