In one of the most beautiful 5 minutes on the big screen (the heavenly use of colors and symmetry and such calm destruction of the imaginary axis), we see Grady convince Jack to correct his family and reminds him that he has always been the caretaker, which was then shown in the B/W picture at the end. It seems ridiculous on the surface, but Ager's in-depth analysis points to some very compelling evidence of sexual abuse. Danny writes REDRUM with a red crayon on the door of the bathroom while Wendys sleeping and starts repeating it to wake her up. Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and film critic. Heres another parallel. Wendy Torrance, (played by Shelly Duvall) frantically roams the halls of the Overlook Hotel looking for her son Danny while her husband, Jack Torrence ( played by Jack Nicholson) goes on an axe rampage. Danny (manifested as his own father in room 237) embraces the naked woman and sees the horror of his predicament in a mirror. Is she a lesbian? The shot passes by within 13 seconds and is never referenced again which raises many unanswered questions. The young woman had inexplicably transformed into an old lady who walks after the frantic Jack laughing all the while. I love Joe Turkels mesmerizing performance as Lloyd, his calmness giving a helping hand to Jacks boiling conscious. The Shining is full of allegory and mystery, but none are as wild and potentially insidious as what could be lurking behind that strange man in a bear suit. Set in the towering, fictional Overlook Hotel, located in the Colorado Rockies, the haunting tale follows Jack Torrance (Nicholson), his wife, Wendy (Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) who opt to look after the hotel over the winter. The bear man appears to be giving felatio to the man on the bed, just as the dog man in the book was carrying out a sexual submission role with his partner. Interesting. We see Halloran contacting the rangers to get in touch with the hotel. This makes the scene even more baffling and the unknown even more frightening. Danny driving a different tricycle, the disappearance of the wooden mantelpiece, the typewriters changing or a shot of Jack waking up right after a tracking shot (which is shown through a mirror, a reflection of reality in the movie). I think Kubricks version is more matured and tries to be realistic about itself, while keeping intact his use of underlying themes. Yes! You dont know Jack and neither do I. I dont go for number interpretations generally, but here Ill make an exception. Danny goes back to his room to get his firetruck and sees a grim looking Jack, his face shown through the mirror again. He also echoes back the same words the Grady twins say, forever and ever and ever. This theory goes all the way back to classic Greek myths. The final outcome was, as we all are aware of, one of the finest horror movies of all time. Jack calls Danny and makes him sit on his lap while asking him about the Overlook and if he liked it, saying I want you to like it with a weak smile while rubbing Dannys shoulder, emphasizing the control he is inflicting. Pausing, Danny snaps back: I dont wanna talk about Tony any more, ending the conversation and the scene. Jack is a recovering alcoholic and relapses at the hotel. And another strange aspect is that there are lots of pornographic pictures of women on the billboard in the basement (see HD version of the film). Others believe its the blood of all the lives claimed by the forces of the hotel, which might be the most convincing explanation. Yet, this isn't Jack, rather, it's Lloyd the bartender, albeit not the same Lloyd Jack himself encountered. However, there are two different levels to this theory, and one is far more apparent than the other. Stanley Kubrick. Jack is left in the snow and freezes to death, and its implied that the Overlook Hotel continued with its cycle of murder by bringing in more reincarnations of past workers. Talking about The Overlook, the epicenter, Ullmans room is very strange. Wendy defends herself with a knife and slashes Jacks arm, causing him to retreat. Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. Related:Are Charles & Delbert Grady The Same Person? Wendy calls a doctor who checks Danny and asks about some sort of trauma Danny may have suffered that may have caused him to make up his imaginary friend. Being one of the best 80s horror movies, the flick is so much more than just cheap jump scares. For example, during the scene where Danny is speaking to his psychiatrist, he is laying on stuffed bears. In the games room, Danny encounters the two girls who are supposed to be the Grady twins. Theres something inherently wrong with the human personality. Bullingdon bares a striking resemblance to Danny Torrance. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Sound familiar? Were in a golden age of TV writing and development. Some of the interpretations expressed in Room 237 are interesting and hold water. Her gullible belief of Dannys room 237 story is plain silly. A popular theory, and one that has gone very deep into the symbolism of The Shining, says that the film also addresses sexual abuse. Stanley Kubrick's films are known for leaving behind hints and foreshadowing as well as clues that all signify some kind of deeper meaning, usually tethered to psychological conditions, phenomena, or theory. And the parallels continue. Famous Guns in Movies Cinemas Most Creative Movie Guns, What is SAG-AFTRA Guild History, Eligibility & Membership. But also the sexual abuse is shown in a scene between Jack and his father in the bizarre scene with the man in the bear costume and older gentleman. But there was always one particular scene in the movie that left me with an unsettling feeling: the bear man scene. Video unavailable This video is unavailable Watch on That strange scene with the bear costume, finally explained. This is right before the fatherly love scene. Danny cleverly retraces back his footsteps and makes a false trail to confuse an already transfixed Jack and audience (the high pitched score literally tears you apart with anxiety and the fact that Kubrick changed the whole story in favor of a more pessimistic theme leaves you wondering about the outcome), who follows the footprints to get nowhere. A shift from dog to bear costume doesnt have any significant effect on the aesthetic scariness of the scene so there must have been some sort of logic at work in Kubricks decision. Meanwhile, Wendy runs through the hotel looking for her son. He chose each clip for thematic reasons. This next theory also suggests that the continuity errors are actually intentional and represent something different entirely. Diane Johnson said this of Stanley Kubrick's non-horror vision: "The ending was changed almost entirely because Kubrick found it a clich to just blow everything up. I've never read the book. Along with a painting on the wall of the Overlook that could be interpreted as the head of a bull atop the body of a man, though not in a literal sense. Here's the end of The Shining explained. Stanley Kubricks The Shining is regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made, and one that to this day continues to be the subject of many debates and discussions. At the hedge maze, Danny manages to escape by laying a false trail to mislead Jack. Although King didnt oppose to that at the time, he wasnt expecting Kubrick to go as far as to change the essence of the book. Related: The Shining Movie's Most Significant Difference From Stephen King's Book. Therefore, it makes sense why Doctor Sleep didn't include The Shining bear man. ", Doctor: "Does Tony ever ask you to do things? Jack goes to check out the room and finds a naked lady who seduces and begins to kiss him and Jack gives in, only to be taken aback by seeing a decaying old lady with him in the mirror. This appearance doesn't clear up the question about why Jack is seen in the 1921 photo at the Overlook, but it does suggest that the theory about his soul being somehow absorbed by the haunted hotel is actually true. One of the things that horror stories can do is to show us the archetypes of the unconscious; we can see the dark side without having to confront it directly. First few seconds and we are already given a taste of the mise en scne. Learn More{{/message}}. There seems to be many hints in the film that Wendy is aware of her sons abuse and is covering up and denying the issue. Jack takes his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), with him, but little do they know, the Overlook has some dark secrets of its own. Coming to Grady, who I think like Lloyd was a fragment of representation of the hotel that would explain his statement I have always been here and look how throughout the scene Jack looks right in the direction of the mirror, almost like envisioning himself. With a narrative that's as puzzling and confusing as the hedge maze found in the terrifying climax, The Shining has led fans to rack their head for it's various meanings for the past 40 years. As for all the weird stuff Wendy stumbles across while running through the hotel, like the guy in the bear suit blowing the party guest and the lift full of blood, it's like Halloran said earlier in the film: "A lot of things happened in this hotel over the years, and not all of them were good". Here's The Shining bear scene explained. Elsewhere in the documentary there is an emphasis on sexual behaviour from Jack. Decoding this puzzling moment, superfans of The Shining have long pointed to the relevance of bears throughout the film, with several references being made throughout the movie that each build to one likely explanation. She was also a contributor for FanSided's BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Is this implying that Jack forced his son to perform felatio in the fatherly love scene? Related: IT Chapter Two's Shining Reference Hints At Stephen King's Shared Universe. Did Jack put them there? The Bear in The Shining has a lasting legacy though an especially unsettling moment in an already unsettling film. Here, Im going by the theory that the Jack in the second half was typed into existence by the real Jack Torrance. The scene seemed almost accidental but knowing Stanley Kubrick, every shot that made it to the final cut was necessary. ", Related: What Jack Nicholson Was Really Like Filming The Shining. ew films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks, a film that can be definitively explained? Tonally, I didnt know if the film would survive that kind of speed bump," Flanagan admitted. Its not much of a marriage. The Overlooks cook, Dick Hallorann, arrives to help Wendy and Danny after the latter reaches out to him through the shining, but is ambushed and killed by Jack. Theseus was a king of Athens and one of the legendary heroes of old. Since the movie is so extensive, lets discuss about three independently primary talking points : Jack, Overlook Hotel and the Bear Man. Copyright 2023 Metaflix Media LLC. Those who believe The Shining moon landing theory point to Danny's wardrobe.
