The Shining Explored

On May 23, 1980, The Shining premiered in theaters across North America. It was co-written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and was presented to audiences as a movie based on Stephen King's novel. But the similarities between novel and film have been a subject of debate among fans and critics ever since the release of the movie. Does Kubrick's version of The Shining accurately depict King's story about one man's descent into madness while spending the winter with his family in a haunted hotel? Or, is it possible to interpret the supernatural aspect of the film in a different light?Employing Freudian psychoanalysis, The Shining Explored examines Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece from a psychological standpoint in order to derive a rational, real world explanation for Jack's homicidal tendencies as well as for many of the bizarre events that transpire in the film. Who is the mysterious woman in Room 237? Are the twin girls the murdered daughters of former caretaker, Charles Grady? Why is Jack featured in a photograph from 1921? These questions and more are explored in this in-depth interpretation of The Shining.