Considered to be one of the most important movies in the history of horror, The Shining is another movie that was based on a Stephen King book. The movie was made by Stanley Kubrick and is even today known for some of the iconic imagery that the movie portrayed. King himself has gone on record saying that he did not like the way the movie turned out, and there were reports of mismanagement being rife on the sets, because of Kubrick being a perfectionist. However, when we see the movie today, we can only say that it was a disagreement amongst the masters of the trade.
The Shining Synopsis
The movie begins with a aerial shot that introduces us to the main characters traveling to the hotel. From the very beginning,we understand that Kubrick has tried to make the movie as visually appealing as the terror that we'd experience in the movie. The background music is something that lulls you into one of those dreamless, bitter naps that leave you waking up with a headache. The music and the camera work makes the hotel more foreboding that it normally would be. The first sequence of the movie then introduces us to Jack Tarrance.
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| Jack |
It seems that Jack is looking for a job as a caretaker, and the hotel where he is being offered the job is a sort of a jinxed one, where the previous caretaker has killed his family, apparently due to cabin fever. The employer informs Jack about this and has apprehensions whether he'd be ready to take on the position. Jack is quite happy to take on the position and the mystery!
The next scene immediately takes us to Jack's son, Danny who has Extra Sensory Perception and is shown to talking to a 'Tony', who informs him that his dad has already got the job and would be calling his mother in a while to do confirm. And Bingo!
This brings us to some of the iconic scenes in the movie, like the whole room bathed in blood, the twin sisters, etc. Of course this is just the beginning of some weirdly beautiful scenes that we will be seeing all through the movie. Irrespective, the trio travel to the hotel. The happy family has a good time regaling each other stories about how some people became cannibals and all sorts of safe family stories.
Thus starts their first day in the Hotel, where the family is introduced to all the aspects of the hotel. Daniel, or Don as he is called sees the twin sisters for the second time in the Hotel, counting the first as the one time when he saw them in the dream.
The next scene immediately takes us to Jack's son, Danny who has Extra Sensory Perception and is shown to talking to a 'Tony', who informs him that his dad has already got the job and would be calling his mother in a while to do confirm. And Bingo!
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| Ask Him Who Wins the Lottery This Week |
This brings us to some of the iconic scenes in the movie, like the whole room bathed in blood, the twin sisters, etc. Of course this is just the beginning of some weirdly beautiful scenes that we will be seeing all through the movie. Irrespective, the trio travel to the hotel. The happy family has a good time regaling each other stories about how some people became cannibals and all sorts of safe family stories.
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| Happy Family |
Thus starts their first day in the Hotel, where the family is introduced to all the aspects of the hotel. Daniel, or Don as he is called sees the twin sisters for the second time in the Hotel, counting the first as the one time when he saw them in the dream.
The hotel itself has a very romantic past, it was built in the early nineties,is built on an Indian burial ground and there were some rebellions that were brought down during the construction - how peaceful and serene this place would be!
The mother and child are then shown the kitchen and when they reach the poultry, the head chef calls Daniel 'Doc', which is his actual nickname, but it is not known to anyone in the hotel, as yet. When the mother asks him how he knows that they call Daniel 'Doc', he brushes it away as a coincidence. Well, it is not a coincidence, when the Head Chef speaks to Doc via telepathy and asks him whether he'd like some icecream.
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| That's him. Check the Telepathy. It's Awesome! |
Well very soon Daniel and the Head Chef are left together, with Daniel having a scoop of ice cream and everyone else going to another part of the hotel. The head chef asks him how he knew that Daniel was called Doc and that is where Daniel is introduced to ESP and telepathy, called the 'Shining'.
Daniel is one step ahead of the Head Chef, and tells him that he has his own friend, Tony, who tells him about everything that happens, 'before' it actually happens. The Head Chef seems a bit upset that his place in the sun is being shadowed, and begins asking Daniel as to who this person is. He also asks Daniel whether Tony has ever told him anything about this place. Daniel answers in the negative, but on some coaxing, Daniel asks whether something bad happened in the Hotel. The head chef then gives a very interesting analogy of bad things to bread and toast.
It is here that Daniel asks about Room 237, and says that the chef is scared of Room 237. When prodded, the chef says that there's nothing in Room 237 and he is told to stay out of the room. Things go well for a month, with the only problem being that Jack's novel not going anywhere. The mother and child go for a walk, and reach the maze. This is the maze, people:
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| The Maze |
After a while, Daniel comes across the Room 237, and stops his little blue tricycle, trying to go into the room.
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| The Room |
Son meets dad after a while, and this seems to be one of the beginning signs that Jack is becoming insane cooped in that hotel. He calls Danny to himself and embraces him in a way that denotes a man going mad slowly. Meanwhile, Danny asks his father whether he would ever hurt his mother and him.
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| Father Son Talk |
The next day, while Danny is playing with his cars on a brightly colored carpet, he walks towards another of the meandering, long running panels in the hotel and finds that Room 237 is unlocked. He is basically looking for his mother, who's in the machine room, doing what people normally do in machine rooms. The mother hears some crying sounds and goes to check.
At the same time, Jack shouts out loud, making Wendy run through the hotel to console him. Jack says that he had a nightmare, the 'most horrible dream he ever had'. He confesses that he dreamt that he killed her and Danny. Danny comes back from room 237, walking in one of those slow walks that are part and parcel of horror flicks. His mother runs to him, only to find some marks on his neck. The mother accuses that Jack tried to kill Danny.
Jack goes deeper into the realms of insanity, now mindlessly trudgling all about the hotel, and finally reaches the Gold Room. He looks for a drink. Jack begins to speak to himself, thinking that there's a bartender and other people in the Gold Room that is empty. Jack then holds up a complete conversation with the bartender, right from asking for a white man's bourbon to asking how his credit is in that joint.
He confesses to Lloyd that he did not hurt the child. He speaks to him in a very emotional and drunken way, repeating that he did not hurt him and that he would not hurt him at all. Finally, he says that he didn't hurt him and that it was an accident. It is then revealed that he had hurt his son a three years ago, because he had thrown some of his papers all over the floor.
Wendy comes running up to him, and tells him that someone else is in the hotel, a crazy woman, who has tried to strangle Daniel. She says that Daniel told her that a crazy woman lives in the hotel. The scene ends when Jack asks her which room was it?
Impending the snowstorm and the hinted at ghosts in the hotel, Jack slowly but surely slips into the realm of sheer insanity. The head chef has a dream about Daniel dying after strangulation, while he is surrounded by posted of naked Africa American chicks, while Jack investigates the room 237. Jack has a vision of a naked woman and has a very sleazy little smile on his face. When Wendy asks whether there was anyone in the room, he replies in the negative. The head chef tries to call the hotel, but the phones are not working, you remember?
While the wife and husband speak, Daniel is having another vision at his bedroom door. Wendy tells Jack that they should leave the hotel, and they have a domestic fight. Jack has a fit of rage in the hotel room, throwing away the steel and silverware, walking through the hotel like its his own palace. Well, it is his palace anyway.
He returns to the Gold Room, seeing all the ghosts having a party in the gold room, while the Head Chef tries to call the radio to find out what the problem with the phones. He also notifies the radio about a family being in the hotel with a kid.
While at the Gold Room, he meets Lloyd once more, and orders a drink. While being paid, Lloyd says that he won't be charging him, as the money would not work there. He then meets waiter who messes up with his jacket. The two gentlemen come to a washroom, and the waiter introduces himself as Delbert Grady. Jack asks him whether he has seen him somewhere before, and Grady replies in the negative. Jack asks Grady whether he was the caretaker around the hotel, and Grady again replies in the negative.
He asks whether Grady is married. Grady affirms and says that he has a wife and two daughters. When asked where they are at the moment, Grady says that he cannot be quite sure about it at the moment. Jack argues that he was the caretaker and says that he recognizes him. He also tells him that he killed his wife and daughters and shot himself. Grady says that he does not have any recollection about it. Finally, in a ominous tone, Grady tells Jack that he is the caretaker and he was always the caretaker.
Gradys then queries Jack whether he knew that his son would soon call a outsider to the situation. When Jack says he does not know, Gradys says that a 'nigger cook' will be coming into the hotel, due to the talent that he has, a talent that he has used to solve the situation.
It may be here that Jack actually falls into the deepest depths of insanity, where the two men have a frank talk from the '50s about how the men of the family should correct their families. When Jack walks out, he reaches the radio call, which was initiated by the head chef. Jack disconnects the radio.
The Head Chef meanwhile begins his sojourn to the hotel, first flying and then driving towards the hotel. Unfortunately, he is caught in a big snowstorm. Wendy, meanwhile is moving around with a big enough baseball bat, and finds out that her husband has been typing 'All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy' in various fonts and typefaces.
This brings us to Jack's first violent act, which is deferred because his wife basically bashes him unconscious with a baseball bat. Jack takes the conversation towards Danny, and what should be done with him. Finally, Jack has another domestic argument, where he shows his insanity and warbles about how he has to be in the Overlook Hotel till the 1st of May.
Jack is then locked in a room in the hotel, while the wife and son move to a safer place within the hotel. Jack gains consciousness and then demands to be released. His wife, being the smarter of the two, does not agree. Jack tries some emotional blackmail, but that does not work. Wendy says that she's gonna get a doctor by driving the snowcat. Jack tells her to check out the radio and the snowcat, and tells her that she's not going anywhere. As expected, the snowcat is screwed beyond repair.
Meanwhile, Jack and Mr Grady have a talk, while he is locked in the store room. Grady tells him that he has to solve this matter in the harshest manner possible, and Jack tells him that he looks forward to it. Upon his word, Grady unlocks the door.
The head chefs makes his way through harsh weather and snowstorm, only to be killed in an ambush my Jack Torrance. Danny has another ESP experience, where he goes to his mother, mentioning 'Redrum', which is basically written on his bedroom door. We see Jack with a big knife, and the soulful, piano music that is the symnbolism of horror moves nowadays. He writes Redrum on Wendy's bedroom door too. Wendy wakes up, to hear Jack breaking open the door with the iconic fireaxe. Jack breaks the door down, and there's a chase sequence, which has Wendy sending her son away from the hotel through the window hatch.
The headchef has reached the house by now, as both the predator and the prey hear the sound of an approaching vehicle. Danny himself has gotten back into the hotel, and is trying to hide somewhere safe in the hotel, as Jack searches for his family, fire axe in hand. It's here that he meets his end in an ambush.
This then leads to a rage filled chase sequence, where the father searches for his son, only to kill him in the snow capped area. Finally, Wendy and Danny drive away, leaving Jack to die in the freezing place.
Gradys then queries Jack whether he knew that his son would soon call a outsider to the situation. When Jack says he does not know, Gradys says that a 'nigger cook' will be coming into the hotel, due to the talent that he has, a talent that he has used to solve the situation.
It may be here that Jack actually falls into the deepest depths of insanity, where the two men have a frank talk from the '50s about how the men of the family should correct their families. When Jack walks out, he reaches the radio call, which was initiated by the head chef. Jack disconnects the radio.
The Head Chef meanwhile begins his sojourn to the hotel, first flying and then driving towards the hotel. Unfortunately, he is caught in a big snowstorm. Wendy, meanwhile is moving around with a big enough baseball bat, and finds out that her husband has been typing 'All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy' in various fonts and typefaces.
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| And Remember, No Copy Paste |
This brings us to Jack's first violent act, which is deferred because his wife basically bashes him unconscious with a baseball bat. Jack takes the conversation towards Danny, and what should be done with him. Finally, Jack has another domestic argument, where he shows his insanity and warbles about how he has to be in the Overlook Hotel till the 1st of May.
Jack is then locked in a room in the hotel, while the wife and son move to a safer place within the hotel. Jack gains consciousness and then demands to be released. His wife, being the smarter of the two, does not agree. Jack tries some emotional blackmail, but that does not work. Wendy says that she's gonna get a doctor by driving the snowcat. Jack tells her to check out the radio and the snowcat, and tells her that she's not going anywhere. As expected, the snowcat is screwed beyond repair.
Meanwhile, Jack and Mr Grady have a talk, while he is locked in the store room. Grady tells him that he has to solve this matter in the harshest manner possible, and Jack tells him that he looks forward to it. Upon his word, Grady unlocks the door.
The head chefs makes his way through harsh weather and snowstorm, only to be killed in an ambush my Jack Torrance. Danny has another ESP experience, where he goes to his mother, mentioning 'Redrum', which is basically written on his bedroom door. We see Jack with a big knife, and the soulful, piano music that is the symnbolism of horror moves nowadays. He writes Redrum on Wendy's bedroom door too. Wendy wakes up, to hear Jack breaking open the door with the iconic fireaxe. Jack breaks the door down, and there's a chase sequence, which has Wendy sending her son away from the hotel through the window hatch.
The headchef has reached the house by now, as both the predator and the prey hear the sound of an approaching vehicle. Danny himself has gotten back into the hotel, and is trying to hide somewhere safe in the hotel, as Jack searches for his family, fire axe in hand. It's here that he meets his end in an ambush.
This then leads to a rage filled chase sequence, where the father searches for his son, only to kill him in the snow capped area. Finally, Wendy and Danny drive away, leaving Jack to die in the freezing place.
