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.