Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is one of the most celebrated horror films ever made.
In fact, it is one of the most celebrated films in general.
In 1980, The Shining was released during the golden age of slasher horror.
But The Shining was unlike these other films.
It didn’t rely on killing, and blood, and gore for it’s scares.
Yes, there’s plenty of blood, but The Shining is a slow-burning, cerebral horror film that
festers in your brain and crawls under your skin.
The film is hauntingly unique and surely inspired filmmakers of every genre for decades to come.
There are plenty of films that have stood the test of time, The Shining holds a special
place in film history.
It’s legacy is eerie and even somewhat unsettling.
It’s a notorious film with a reputation that still sends shivers down the spines of
movie-lovers.
Part of The Shining’s infamy stems from the grueling drama that took place behind
the scenes.
Stanley Kubrick was well known for being a compulsive perfectionist.
Perhaps this was best showcased during production of The Shining.
While Kubrick had a history of filming a great deal of takes for one scene, the amount of
takes filmed for The Shining was excessive even for Kubrick.
Philip Stone, the actor opposite Jack Nicholson, recalls having to shoot this scene between
50 and 60 times.
The famous axe scene allegedly took three days and required 60 different doors.
This particular scene, which has now become legendary due to the excessive amount of takes,
Kubrick reportedly required 148 takes just on this single close up.
And it’s rumored that this scene drove Shelley DuVall to her mental breaking point.
Apparently DuVall was in actual hysteria here.
This is not acting.
In fact, Kubrick was so harsh and demanding of DuVall that she stated the stress caused
her to lose her hair and to fall ill for months.
"And it also helps get the emotion up and the concentration up.
Because it builds up anger, actually.
And you get more out of yourself.
And he knew that.
And he knew that he was getting more out of me by doing that."
The second reason for the Shining’s endurance is the theories.
In spite of his over-the-top behind the scenes antics, Kubrick was a genius.
It’s been said the Kubrick became bored with filmmaking during Barry Lyndon and was
in desperate need of trying something new.
Enter The Shining.
"Here’s Johnny!"
The Shining almost seems like an exercise for Kubrick to see how many different concepts
he could hide in one film.
Ask any die hard fan of The Shining, and they will all have a different interpretation.
Some believe it to be Stanley Kubrick’s confession to faking the moon landing.
Others believe to be about the Holocaust.
Regardless of your interpretation, there is no denying that there are mind-boggling amounts
of subliminal messages and hidden details in The Shining, but we will never know their
true intention.
And that keeps us talking.
Which has kept this film alive.
My third and final reason for the endurance of The Shining is simply its craft.
The behind the scenes drama and conspiracy theories have helped The Shining gain notoriety,
but the reason it’s so respected in the film community is its brilliant filmmaking.
Much like the supernatural power that the film is named after…
"My grandmother an I could hold conversations entirely without ever opening our mouths.
She called it shining."
Kubrick used his camera to silently communicate to the viewer.
We gain more insights visually than we do narratively.
Kubrick broke rules.
He would use hypnotic long takes to lull us into an uneasy trance.
And then he would assault our eyes with jarring cuts and camera movements.
Maybe most notably, The Shining pioneered shots like this.
Kubrick wanted his camera to float just a few inches off the floor while following the
tricycle.
This led to steadicam inventor and operator Garret Brown inverting his rig and allowing
the camera to rest just above the ground.
Despite being based on a Stephen King novel, The Shining is 100% a product of Kubrick’s
mind, which is perhaps why King despises the film—
"Did you like Kubrick’s film of The Shining?"
"No.
Cold."
The story from the novel was more or less a vessel for Kubrick’s thoughts and ideas.
It’s a masterclass in thoughtful filmmaking and visual storytelling.
It’s infamous, and beloved, and influential, and it will forever be considered one of the
greats.