Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining",
can be interpreted in countless ways.
There's the moon landing cover-up.
The Native American genocide.
The minotaurs maze.
The 1919 world series allegory.
But do you recall the most hidden theories of all?
"The Shining" is actually a Christmas movie.
"- Beautiful place. You and Danny are gonna love it."
Most people watching "The Shining",
don't realize just how Christmasy it actually is.
"- I'm intrigued. - Good morning, hon."
- Our analysts spent weeks pouring over every frame
And this is what we found.
You are not going to believe this.
"- Well, let's just wait and see."
- Now, if we know anything about Stanley Kubrick,
it's his obsession with color.
And what two colors represent Christmas?
Red.
And green.
But these color motifs are obvious.
And there's so much more to unwrap.
"- Boy, I bet you, we could really have a good party in this room huh, hon?"
- Just bear with us for a sec.
One of the most strict criteria for a Christmas movie
is that it needs to take place during Christmas.
At 57 minutes, we see our last title card
indicating the day - Wednesday.
At 1 hour 35 minutes and 50 seconds,
we begin Thursday at 8 a.m.
And what day did Christmas land on in 1980
when "The Shining" was released?
Over half of the film takes place on Christmas eve
and Christmas day.
Still not convinced?
What about this scene when Jack wakes up in the pantry?
See anything of interest?
Behind Jack's head is a bag of "Holly" brand salt
which would be a simple coincidence
if the holly plant wasn't such a staple of Christmas iconography.
And what about this early scene as the Torrance family
drives up to the overlook.
Their conversation turns to the ill-fated Donner Party.
"- Hey! Wasn't it around here that the Donner party got snowbound?
- I think that was farther west in the sierras."
- People always assume this is just foreshadowing
the horrors that await them.
But that's just to distract you from the truth.
Donner is in fact one of Santa's reindeer.
"- Well, Donner where's the new member of the family?
- I'm so sorry, sir."
- What other Christmas time symbols and imagery can we find?
What about the drink that Grady spills on Jack at the party.
"- That's all right. I've got plenty of jackets.
- I'm afraid it's advocaat, sir. It tends to stain."
- Advocate is a traditional dutch beverage
made from eggs sugar and brandy.
Sounds a bit like eggnog, doesn't it?
And what alcohol do we typically use in eggnog?
"- Redrum."
- And what do we eat on Christmas?
Some people eat turkey.
So, what do we find in the freezer?
"- 15 rib roasts.
Thirty 10 pound bags of hamburger.
We got 12 turkeys."
- Wait, hold on.
12 turkeys?
"- We got 12 turkeys?"
- As in the 12 days of Christmas?
But if you think this is the only reference to the yuletide power
of the number 12 you don't know Stanley Kubrick.
What's the most famous room at the overlook hotel?
That's right. Room 237.
Calculators out.
What is 2 plus 3 plus 7?
Exactly.
Now, you might be saying that we need at
least one Christmas tree
to make this a Christmas movie.
Well, are you forgetting the very first shot?
Pause.
Enhance.
It was right in front of us the whole time.
Honestly, we can't make this stuff up.
If you thought "Eyes Wide Shut" was Kubrick's only Christmas movie
you'd be wrong.
With its endless symbolism and ambiguity,
one thing is certain
"The Shining" is bursting with holiday cheers.
"- Danny! Danny boy!"
- What other clues have you found that
prove "The Shining" is a Christmas movie?
Let us know what we missed in the comments.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays
from everyone here at StudioBinder.