The Shining

When viewing a horror film, the viewer can generally expect themes of death, isolation, and the unknown. They generally incorporate physical violence and/or psychological terror. Stories may draw from religion (The Nun, The Exorcist). The aim for this genre of movie is to instill fear and disgust for the purpose of entertainment. Often horror films feature the same things, dark and dimly lit settings, and certain character tropes; the silent killer, the foolishly overconfident, the sheriff etc. However not all will follow this, like the movie Midsommar that takes place in a very sunny and flowery place. For this assignment I chose Stephen Kings, “The Shining”. This movie follows character Jack’s descent into madness while he and his family are staying at the haunted Overlook Hotel. From the start its indicated that Jack ‘’has a temper’’ as Wendy states at the start of the film. His progression into madness is gradual, the supernatural energy of the hotel only amplifies his anger. The film employs a number of techniques to build suspense, such as the distance between the camera and the character, closeups of facial expressions. Camera work can make the viewer feel as if they are present watching a real event that evokes emotions. The panning and following of the characters can evoke either a disorienting effect on the viewer. The family moving to this isolated place worsened Jack’s mental state paired with the supernatural presence in the hotel itself. Oftentimes Stephen King uses native american spirits to add an entity. The hotel itself is evil, that evil possessed jack and turned him into what we see at the end of the film. A major plot point that plays a vital role throughout the movie is ‘’The Shine’’, the supernatural power both Danny and Dick have. What could’ve been a harrowing story about domestic violence is made more intense by these supernatural attributes that make it seem more sinister. At the end of the film the viewer is left with the frozen visage of Jack in the hedge maze, with a zoom in we see Jack now in an old photo of the hotels former patrons and staff. Its an eerie sight that suggests the hotel has claimed him once and for all.