The Shining: A Twisted Horror

Psychological horror is definitely a theme that can be seen throughout Stanley Kubrick’s film The Shining that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. Psychological horror builds tension within the viewer because of the emotional instability of the characters within the movie, and we definitely see this through Jack’s character in the shining. In the beginning of the movie Jack is just a normal man, applying for a job as a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel where him and his family will stay to watch over the hotel. He gets the job and soon learns about the previous caretaker and how he killed all of his family and then shot himself. People say that the old caretaker, Delbert Grady, had been cooped up with his family for so long that he developed cabin fever.

 

            After hearing this story Jack thinks nothing about it at first but as time goes on it is something that becomes more and more engraved in his mind. Jack gets snappy with his wife and stressed out and seems almost as if he could break in an instant. The pressure and stress put on jack from others around him as well as the story of the previous caretaker begins to become too much for him, and this is what makes the film begin to turn into a psychological horror. We begin focusing on what is going on inside the unstable mind of Jack and how he too, is getting the grip of the cabin fever. The emotions, personality, and mental attitude of Jack begins to change as he becomes obsessed with fulfilling what his mind is telling him to do which is to kill his family.

 

            What makes The Shining a different movie from regular horror movies is that it does not focus on a material fear such as monsters or dangerous creatures, but instead it focuses on the mental and emotional fears that a character causes to others. It exposes the inside of a characters mind which in our case is Jack and his mental breakdown, which is why this movie is considered a psychological horror. One aspect of this film that I noticed was different to me than other horror films I’ve watched was the sound affects and non-diegetic music that was played as emphasis to certain parts of the movie. At certain points during the movie as the action began to intensify so would the music. The music would seem as if there was going to be a breaking point within the action were something would jump out at you and the music would reach that point too, and then nothing would happen. The suspense in this film was scary enough and the psychological problems that arise also are what make this such a great horror film.

The Shining - Psychological Horror

 Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining absolutely fits the definition of psychological horror from beginning to end. In the first few minutes of the film viewers are introduced to a seemingly normal family that has just moved to Colorado. Jack is a former teacher turned writer. He is married to a loving wife, and the couple has one young son. As Mr. Ullman explains the responsibilities that Jack will have as the overseer at the Overlook Hotel he seems excited and quickly brushes off the “haunted” history of the hotel and the feelings of isolation that Ullman warns can be hard to deal with. Once the Torrance family moves into the hotel we quickly begin to see the isolation has a much greater effect on Jack than he believed it would. The “normal” appearance of the characters and their feelings of isolation are relatable to viewers, the situation is one that any family could find themselves in. Rather than relying on gore and violence like many of today’s horror films The Shining reels in the audience by focusing on the common internal fears that many viewers have felt before. The fact that we watch the situation escalate throughout the movie creates a buildup of emotions and truly creates a sense of connectedness between the viewer and the onscreen characters. For example, during the scene in which Jack chases Danny through the maze I felt anxious and fearful. The feeling I had when watching this chase was different than when I watch a scene in a jumpy horror film, I was more emotionally involved and the suspense of the scene felt almost unbearable at times. I think the fear of being chased and ultimately cornered is common and relatable for most viewers. In addition, the background music throughout the film added to the psychological aspects of the film and creates an even greater sense of fear in viewers (ex: scene when Wendy finds all of the writing Jack has done). Although this film may not be near as gruesome as today’s horror films it most definitely sticks in the mind of its viewers, and will considered a classic for years to come.

The Shining

The Shining isn't the typical horror film that puts you on the edge of your seat and has multiple things pop out at you. This horror film is more psychological in nature and focuses more on using fear inside the individual to create their own specific fear on screen. Each character has something different that they are afraid of. The viewer can at least find one of the fear's to coincide with their own personal experience. Viewers find a fear in Jack that, they too, could go crazy and do something so strange and odd as him. Or they could relate better with his wife, who fears that her family would be torn apart and reverted back to the night where her husband dislocated her son's arm. And then there is a very real fear for a child, that moving to a new place can be very scary. However, because Danny has the Shining, his fears seem to be unfolding in front of him the entire time. The viewer doesn't know for sure if he is imagining things or if he really is seeing the scary things until the other characters start to see them as well. And even when they do start seeing them, we know that it is because of the power of the Shining which is allowing them to see things that aren't really there. They have either already happened or will happen in the future.

That's why this film is so successful. It isn't because the scary music leads the viewer up to a startling shot that makes you scream, it's because of the uneasiness factor. The viewer is always unsure of what is going to happen next, which makes them build the suspense up in their own mind. It's all one big mind game with complex factors.

The Shining

Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” explores several psychological fears as related to themes in mass society including isolation, family dysfunction, and the unknown.  Though the horror aspects in “The Shining” are themselves terrorizing and somewhat typically expected of the larger genre, certain aspects of this film identify it as part of the psychological horror subgenre, specifically within the transformation of Jack as he is seemingly compelled to kill his family. 

In the beginning we are introduced to Jack as a former teacher turned full-time writer, who is looking for a job that will coincide with his work and perhaps a new beginning.  Immediately after his interview, we are then introduced to Jack’s family and his son where we are made aware of Danny’s “special” ability and their family’s troubled past.  Right away we are presented with social imbalances simply from this introduction.  First, Jack is not a wealthy man and there is an unsettled disposition about his family.  He is taking a job that essentially isolates himself from the rest of the world and is sort of left to deal with his personal and familial issues without outside assistance.  This isolation can be said to be a major fear in the context of a larger society, sort of like in the way films and sitcoms like “Lost” and “The Simpsons Movie” explore the idea of containment and separation.  Ultimately, when characters are contained from the outside, their imbalances as human beings begin to emerge and that is what we see in Jack.

Aside from his lowly status as former teacher and stagnant writer, the viewers see aspects of Jack that suggest his deficiencies.  He enjoys drinking, in fact depends on it, and he has succumbed to family abuse in his past.  His character, by the time he is consumed by his craziness, is almost expected to succumb to his weakness by reverting back to his previous behaviors with a vengeance.  While Jack himself sees his actions as taking charge of his life and his family, whom he believes purposefully brings him down, in the larger context of what we define as being manly, Jack is actually on the opposite end of the spectrum and his actions can be seen as a poor way to compensate for his deficiencies. 

Although the larger genre of horror typically explores ideas of death, I believe “The Shining” represents this idea differently, especially as the motive for the already dead characters isn’t necessarily to kill all of the characters, but rather to trick Jack into murdering his family through his delusions.  While there are otherworldly aspects of the film, such as when both Jack and Danny see the dead, it is more alarming for a “typical” person such as Jack to change into a monster and become a murderer.  It is in this transformation that we are aware of the psychological aspects that classify it as part of the subgenre.  Though not necessarily terrorizing in a traditional sense, “The Shining” can perhaps be more horrifying if only for its suggested possibilities.

Kubrick's The Shining

Kubrick’s The Shining explores all of the typical patterns in a psychological horror. The film explores fears that are very easy for the audience to relate to, and that is what allowed the film to twist our minds so.

As a woman, its particularly easy to relate to Wendy’s fears, however I can also apply some of the fears Jack has to a man’s perspective as well. Wendy had her fears for Danny, normal mother fears, and fears about his mental and physical health and well being. She also had fears of her own spouse-every woman’s worst nightmare really. She was the main outlet through which fears were expressed on a surface level. She was the most vocal character about her fears, for instance when she brought up the Donner Party on the drive up to the motel. 

Jack has a common male fear of not being able to provide for his family, hence his agreement to maintain the hotel, and work on a new book in the process. He later seems to show a slight fear of hurting his family, based on the fact he had previously injured his own son in a drunken rage.

Danny explores the world of fear through a child’s eyes, which is probably the most frightening viewpoint, because children are young, unknowing, and vulnerable. He fears a new home (the hotel), and he fears his father, for obvious reasons. At the same time, he explores the hotel with what seems to a fearless curious attitude. At first, it seemed like Danny’s premonitions if you will could be chocked up to nightmares, which is another fear that is especially tangible when the audience puts themselves in a child’s shoes.

Altogether, the film takes the worst fears of an American family and combines them into what could feel like the eighth level of domestic hell, one abusive parent, one powerless parent, a child with what appears to be mental illness, living in a gargantuan hotel on an isolated mountain, alone, over winter. Throw in that the hotel was scene to a murder, theoretically haunted, and the viewer is served with a hell-ish thoughts sundae with the cherry on top. I do not have much experience with horror movies, most definitely my least favorite genre, so I really don’t have anything I can compare it to.

The Shining Has Realistic Fears

The film "The Shining" the audience can relate to the main character's fear of seclusion and having no one to help them. The audience experiences the suspense felt by the characters. The Shining gives you the moments where they can feel being chased by Jack Nicholson. They can feel the pressure of getting away. The tension comes from the film. Other horror films are a different kind of tension. The audience member see’s someone being snuck up on but its less scary because they can see it happening. In this film they feel as if they are being chased as well. There is no idea of what is to come. The shining gives no hint to it’s ending or reasoning behind much of the film. Most horror films I have seen give a reason in the beginning or explain as it goes. The shinning throws the audience into the middle of the drama, tension and horror. We don’t want Danny to go into room 237 but that’s only because we know something bad will happen. In real life there would be nothing holding us back. 

The Shining: Psychological Thrill Ride

I believe that The Shining is one of the greatest films ever made, not just one of the best psychological horror films. The reason I believe this is because of the story it tells. It's not a horror film that is simply dependent on blood and gore or jump scares. The Shining is the type of film that chills the audience to its core because The Shining is at its base a story about a family. Everyone has a family and everyone has emotions, but what happens when those emotions are pushed to the brink because of ghosts or psychological ills. Another great aspect of The Shining that sets it apart from horror movies of its kind is that it has a multitude of meanings. At the end when the audience sees that Jack Torrance in an old picture of the hotel staff, are we lead to believe that this entire time he was a ghost? Most horror movies do not leave the audience with such open-ended questions. Most audiences are scared of the unknown of what Jack Torrance was going to do. Was he really going to kill his family? Also, Danny's shining lead the audience to believe that maybe all hope was not lost. The Shining is a great horror movie because it strikes fear into the core of its audiences. The Shining is a great movie in general because visually, its magnificently made and acted. The Shining, from the very beginning's opening credits sets up the ominous tone that follows throughout the film.