It seems that every new horror movie is still trying to remake The Shining in some way. Whether it’s the liminality, the patriarchal insanity, the all-encompassing alcoholism, or the creepy old house of horrors, Kubrick’s influence on the genre cannot be understated. Despite author Stephen King’s infamous disdain for the film adaptation, I think that one can be a fan of both when viewing them as separate works. King’s book is distinct and influential in its own right, the metaphysics of shining and the specifics of the hotel are far more vivid on his grotesque page. But Kubrick’s adaptation of it, though certainly unfaithful in some ways, carries that claustrophobic fear, that sense of dread that parallels anxiety and loss of self. The Shining is arresting; it is the kind of horror film that has you glued to your seat. It speaks to so many timeless horror elements – that feeling of being in the wrong place and not knowing how to get out, watching things that were meant to be a comfort instead transforming into terror. The Overlook Hotel is uncanny, unnatural. It straddles our reality and another, the present and the past.
The Brattle is playing The Shining as a cheeky Father’s Day screening, similar to their traditional showing of Psycho during Mother’s Day. It’s a sick, clever cinephilic joke about the ways these celebrated horror films subvert our expectations of family dynamics. When Jack (Jack Nicholson), Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) drive up to the Overlook Hotel, we don’t have any reason to see how this idyllic winter vacation could go wrong. The horror comes as small things begin to unravel, as the veil lifts off this family and we, and the hotel, begin to study the cracks.
The Shining has been emulated and referenced consistently in works of both horror and parody since its release, but its reputation as one of the greatest, scariest horror movies of all time has remained intact because its effect is so undeniable. The most famous scenes don’t lose their grandeur because they are just that good. The blood-filled elevator. Nicholson’s deranged stare. The twins in the hallway. The hexagonal orange carpet. The woman in the hotel room. That auspicious room number, 237. The Shining is a story that has earned its mythic reputation, and both fans of the book and those who only have interest in the film will be able to appreciate the fear and dread it strikes. Whether you find the film to be about fatherhood, the paranormal, cabin fever, or something different, it’s a testament to both the genius of King and Kubrick to bring to life a story so universally scary, so timelessly fascinating.
The Shining
1980
dir. Stanley Kubrick
144 min.
Screens (in 35mm!) Saturday, 6/20 through Monday, 6/22 @ Brattle Theatre – click here for showtimes and ticket info
