Let's discuss The Shining

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Just watched it. Its a great movie. Though I have hundreds of questions. But not in a bad way, but better. I have read some theories, but I think most of them are way over-analyzed. I would like to re-watch it, but I have to watch other films (I'm currently on a quest of watching movies recognized as greatest movies of all time), I don't want to get stuck with this one. So please help me out.

Are there any dark secret about the hotel that the current administrator know except from the Charles Grady story? I know about the Native American genocide thing, but is that it?

What's the message behind about the flooding blood from the elevator? Was it about the genocide?

The ghosts (not the twin and the lady from room 237, I believe that they are Grady's family? I also think that the one -Delbert Grady- who Jack is talking to in the bathroom was Charles Grady's brother, I don't know), Lloyd? The one with the dog costume? Who are they? They don't look like Indians to me?

Why can Jack see his wife and son in the hedge maze miniature?

So my view on the ending where Jack is in the photo, I think when he died he became part of the hotel?

Well, I'm not open with over-analyzed theory that is becoming way away from the story, its just ridiculous to me. Like what I have read that one of the reason why the flooding blood was only seen by Wendy was because her character as a submissive has been transformed into a stronger one. Just a simple thought of yours I need, not exaggerated.
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Meh, there's a ton of these conspiracy theories and various other rubbish about theories behind the movie but they're all total garbage.


As for the movie itself, as it is... yeah, I think the ghosts (twins and the lady in the bathroom) are Grady's family. The twins definitely are... but it's never fully said if that woman was his wife or not.
I reckon she is.


I always saw the maze part as two things... either just a dodgy piece of editing that reads like Jack is seeing them... or it's the ghosts of Overlook allowing him to see them. The ghosts after all did unlock the pantry door for him, so who's to say how powerful or weak they actually are?


Blood from the elevator I've always read as a symbolic "river of blood" vision. Nothing more.


The painting at the end I see as Jack's soul.
He was twisted by the ghosts and entities in the hotel, eventually becoming part of the "spirit" or "aura" of the hotel... adding to the collective energies of the ghosts that reside there.
It's mentioned about Grady doing the things he did... and Jack then does the same thing. It's the collective power of all the twisted souls, working on whoever lives there during the winter. Before Jack it was Grady, Grady then becomes a puppet who works on Jack, grinding him down, turning him mad.


As for the hotel staff, maybe they know about past incidents, maybe they don't. Maybe historical records only list Grady, and nobody before him going nuts at the place.
Maybe caretakers before Grady never took their families with them...


It's one of those films where a couple of things are left unanswered, but a lot of people tend to just throw stupid ideas at it and barmy theories.



You should watch Room 237 if you are interested in the theories but you don't want to rewatch it. Like Rodent i believe most of it is just paranoid nonsense, but if you don't take it seriously it is quite entertaining and it does come up with some interesting stuff like the layout of the hotel.



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You should watch Room 237 if you are interested in the theories but you don't want to rewatch it. Like Rodent i believe most of it is just paranoid nonsense, but if you don't take it seriously it is quite entertaining and it does come up with some interesting stuff like the layout of the hotel.
Not interested in watching Room 237.



Rodent, yeah that's more acceptable theory for the ending.

But are Delbert Grady and Charles Grady the same person?

By the way, what do you think triggered Jack's psychopathic tendencies? I believe it was Wendy's fault, when she gave hint that she wanted to leave the hotel. Jack is so attached to the hotel and got upset. Then the ghost started to influence Jack about "correcting" them. I also think when Wendy hit Jack with the bat, that more led Jack to insanity. It could be that Jack couldn't do it when they were in the staircase while Wendy is swinging the bat maybe Jack really became slightly sane, but for Wendy, I think its too risky. Its kind of funny because at that scene I'm starting to believe that Wendy was the one becoming insane.



liked that movie a lot, it gave me that sense of claustrophobia all the way, it was scary and atsmopheric as hell, definitely one of the best horror movies of all time. jack nickolson has never been better.



it is one of the most atmospheric horror movies i 've ever seen, when i watched the film i felt that i myself was trapped inside that mansion, and as the story unfolds i felt a sense of doom all the way, very rare are the movies that captures your whole beliefs into a 2hr viewing experience, and this film does it sublimely...



I heard another theory about the movie... the whole movie after Jack has a nightmare, is Jack's novel.


If you watch again, he is struggling writing his book... then, he has that nightmare, screaming while face down on the desk... and he's got a red coat on. That coat, was never seen before that moment, and Jack wears it in every scene from that moment on.
From that point on, is where we're watching Jack's novel unfold.


He writes about a caretaker killing his family... basing it on the story he was told of Delbert Grady in that very hotel and crossing it with his own situation.


Imagine the book: "Caretaker and wannabe writer, in a hotel for the winter, job is going fine, wakes up having a nightmare of killing his own family, then, after the isolation of the surroundings, he does just that. It turns out the hotel is haunted and the ghosts are making him go crazy".


Just a theory.



The Grady's were just one of the ghost stories of the Overlook hotel, bathroom lady and dog guy are two stories that are covered in the book.

The bathroom lady was a wealthy woman(Mrs Massay) cheating on her husband with a younger man (basically a gigolo in the 70's). One night disgusted with her life she killed herself in the bathtub by taking pills.

The dog guy(Roger) was the sexual plaything of a former owner of the Overlook(Horace Derwent). We don't know if Harry killed Roger at some-point or if both characters where pedophiles(a constant theme that runs through the film)



Where in the film is there paedophilia?
Its implied, When we first meet Jack he's reading an article about why people sleep with Children.

Then you have the scene with Danny in bed with the therapist and he has his hands over his genitals.

Later in the film he and his mother are watching a film called Summer of 42 which is a reverse Lolita type story.

They also changed Robert from a dog costume to a bear costume to coincide with Danny and his teddy bears



I just checked YouTube. That therapy scene is omitted from my copy of the movie


I wouldn't call that scene a hint toward paedophilia though. Gonna have to watch again and see if there's anything like that in the film. I've never spotted anything before.