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.