The Shining - Quietly Going Insane Together

The Shining, more than any other horror film, frightens me on a deep, psychological level. This video explores what exactly makes it so creepy.
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Vsauce - Why Are Things Creepy?
• Why Are Things Creepy?
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[@yellemonster]

let's be real. we can attribute at least 50% of it to Jack Nicholson. He had the perfect face, voice, and mannerisms to execute that roll perfectly. It just wouldn't have been the same if it was anyone else...

[@kikkd]

There's some great footage around of him pacing about set in character. Terrifying.

[@danielmurray04]

he's good, but the direction, sound and purposely disorienting layout of the hotel really are kickers, the lay out takes it to a different level.. he did the role well, but it was a role he played.. so even in what his part was, most of that was script, direction and who the character he was playing was. .. he did a good job though, can't really think of who else could do it as well as he did. but 50% down to him, no way, far to many other factors.

[@ibodhidogma]

I think you're not giving Kubrick and the photography enough credit. The look of the film is half of it.

[@dom-ru5cc]

Joshua Abraham Nicholas Cage?

[@danielmurray04]

would have been awful.. his face is too comical... but another actor could have done Jack's role, Jack was great in it.. but the direction and story were the main thing here, especially the direction.

[@BerniceBowling]

I think the isolation plays a big part in how scary the movie is.

[@paperchasindude6578]

So true

[@LingLing-pn3us]

yes it sure dose.

[@collegeman1988]

I’ve noticed that too. Other great horror films have only a half dozen or so characters at best. The Shining, Alien, The Fly (1986 remake with Jeff Goldblum). Isolation is the killer in these movies

[@lOvEsIcK817]

I like the ballroom scene because the movie tells you there alone and then there's just a bunch of people

[@nmeyers92]

The wide open spaces in the hotel and just how vast and empty it is gives the viewer an uneasy feeling to begin with... the same way a claustrophobic/small setting gives a viewer anxiety.

[@komalpanda9076]

The thing that scared me the most in the movie is how jack's eyebrows have a life of their own

[@cheapskateotaku7123]

Jack play the role perfectly, he is what make creepy and insanely a character feels so realistic.

[@TheChugg11]

“A story of a man and his family quietly going insane together” gives me the heebie jeebies as a phrase.

[@proctorritter5176]

I think it’s the fact that Stanley says “quietly going insane”. It’s like saying “peacefully bleeding to death” or “beautifully suffering forever”. It’s two phrases that shouldn’t be put together, since we don’t often associate quietness and insanity with each other. Things that are unusual creep us out.

[@canaisyoung3601]

That's pretty much 2020 in a nutshell.

[@TheChugg11]

@@canaisyoung3601 2020’s more like ‘noisily freaking out’ but I know where you’re coming from!

[@adventure_lewis3354]

0:08 has he never watched The Thing 1982

[@sexonopiates]

i literally had this exact thought, it’s perfect

[@liveecarbme]

One thing that I always found unsettling is the fact that Lloyd(bartender) and Delbert(butler) NEVER blink.

[@pluggedscope3007]

Cigol Zëlev that means they aren't real.

[@liveecarbme]

Yeah...but its still creepy as hell. like animated mannequins. The eyes are the window to the soul....

[@AHHHHHHHHHHHHl]

Lloyd also looks a bit like Joseph Goebbels.

[@Aleon38]

Fuck me you are right....

[@Buford_T_Justice1]

Lloyd is also Tyrell.

[@ffnendhgrgd]

That shot of Kubrick and the actors at the end. Kubrick is perfectly relaxed and Jack and Shelley are like, please, God, don't make us do it again

[@johndavidtibbetts7320]

some say brilliant visionary, some say brutally abusive loon with a superiority complex I say you can do two things at once

[@tomnorton4277]

​@@johndavidtibbetts7320 Stanley Kubrick was a visionary. He was also an asshole. Brilliant filmmaker but he was sometimes downright cruel to his performers.

[@LoganSewell83]

Kubrick probably became upset with the both of them and reshoot the entire film at least a hundred times.

[@lucasgundi]

idk but I think it was more like they're watching what they just filmed and it's probably one of the gruesome scenes

[@ilikeceral3]

Shelley in particular was treated horribly.

[@gigas115]

When you were talking about something, I remembered a line I once heard about horror. The point isn't to give you a fright while you're already tense. The point of horror is to make a safe place seem dangerous.

[@ilovecaulk2542]

Or, in this case, make a dangerous place seem safe

[@ninawestlake14]

​@@ilovecaulk2542 Right. This is what came to my mind.

[@enterprisingcaptian875]

The Shining is profoundly disturbing, it's a psychological thriller dressed up as horror. The Shining is a masterpiece!

[@Stigmatix666]

Exactly! It doesn't matter whether the hotel is haunted or not. The movie shows you what it's like to live behind closed doors (literally) with a straight up unhinged psychopath.. That's what makes it disturbing. Not the ghosts, they're just the icing on the cake..

[@sabster79]

Probably the scariest thing ab The Shining is how Kubrick treated Shelly Duval.

[@americalainez7998]

agree

[@dyl3477]

sabster79 it is pretty scary to see someone not respecting women

[@neffada]

what is happening to her?

[@GetlemanNightmare]

Lala Oktaf He yelled at her "you are wasting everbody's time. " Shelly went so much stress that hair go off head and she couldn't move.. and kubrick said to staff "don't worry about her. she is fine."

[@TheZombifiedFairy]

GetlemanNightmare he also didn't tell her about certain scene to get genuine fear. This was living hell for her and probably fucked her up for life

[@malcolmhall9178]

one thing I found that made it so creepy is how the hotels layout makes literally zero sense. For example in Ullmans office the window behind him is physically impossible, really plays with your mind.

[@dreikjapan4061]

Exactly.It seems like the whole movie is a dream or smth like that

[@fairfight9857]

Sorry I don’t understand what is physically impossible?

[@mrpaintcan141]

@@fairfight9857 There's a hallway directly behind where the window would lead, which doesn't make sense as you can clearly see sunlight and shrubs through the window. There's other instances of this such as a hallway leading behind the windows in the Colorado lounge.

[@princesspai1975]

@@mrpaintcan141 there is no hallway behind the window. It's trees behind the window Smh

[@tonyflamingo3668]

@@princesspai1975 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqS4equOeKh5jdk

[@naptimegaming1347]

For me, the scariest part for me was definitely when she found the book he had been writing. I don't know why, but for some reason it made me the most uneasy, thinking of him sitting there typing the same sentence over and over all day, with different indents and all. The insanity of it really got to me, like I could look up some time and see that what I had been working on wasn't at all what I thought it was.

[@Troubled_waters]

I love The Shinning for how it terrifies you by letting you see EVERYTHING with wide, bright, open shots leaving you asking “why can’t I see the threat???” rather than darkness/restricted view giving the unease like most horror.

[@xw591]

YES

[@1080TJ]

I first saw this on TV when I was home sick in middle school. I had enjoyed some slasher movies before and recognized certain scenes from The Shining being repeatedly parodied in other media. But nothing could have prepared me for how unsettling this movie was (and still is). It didn't outright scare me, it was just so... off. I remember first watching the long uncut scenes of Danny riding his bike through the halls, the sound of the wheel going from carpet to hardwood floor to carpet again, and wondering why this was so mesmerizing, why it made me so uncomfortable, why just seeing a kid riding his noisey bike around somehow wasn't boring or annoying. Kubrick is a genius.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Yes! That's always the moment where I become aware of how crazy it is that I'm so engaged with something so simple - Danny riding his bike, carpet to hardwood.

[@dwizzy.34]

Lessons from the Screenplay Whenever I hear it roll on the hard floor, it reminds me of a drumroll as if it is building up to something.

[@mxar2074]

TJ Hastie I think it's because when he's driving on the wooden floor it makes a rattling sound and when the wheels drive on the carpet the sound is disrupted. This pattern creates a beat, kind of. It's hard to explain.

[@evan5163]

In middle school now and I watched this after I finished the book and the stuff that wouldn't scare people normally is so much creepier in this film

[@NodDisciple1]

TJ Hastie If you look it up, they used film editing to give the room an "impossible" shape that can't exist in real life. Your mind can't figure out why at the time, but this impossible architecture makes the place feel "off."

[@-cosmicrogue-]

My friend hated The Shining. He told me it was overrated and not scary at all. I told him horror is almost as subjective as comedy. However, there is something *special* about The Shining. I think its power comes from a deep psychological fear of the unknown. There is so much unexplained, so much unseen, and left to the imagination in The Shining. You can build tension and fear in a film, but once you reveal the "monster" or the source of the horror, the tension recedes and the final act usually revolves around survival or destruction of the monster. Alien, The Thing, Jaws; these films masterfully build suspense and take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Once the film ends, though, the story feels complete. When I first watched The Shining, the ending felt incomplete. I felt uneasy. Like something was still lingering in my mind. Something intangible. What is The Shining really about anyway? There are thousands of different opinions and answers on that simple question alone. There is some truly strange cinematography in that film. Desks and furniture move around from scene to scene with no explanation. Impossible windows appear and disappear. Is the hotel alive? Is this a ghost story? What evil is corrupting Jack? What is a hallucination and what isn't? People's imaginations run wild here. In the end the protagonists escape. But your imagination is still held captive. I love that the film can create an atmosphere of dread, in daylight, in a non-typical horror setting or fashion. Yet, I still can't quite explain why or what I am even dreading. Real life horror doesn't include horrific aliens or flesh eating zombies, so there is a safe psychological distance from those stories. I think real life horror can include the fear of insanity. Of a brain that turns against you, of not being able to discern reality from illusion. And the creeping paranoia, the inexplicable dread, of the unknown.

[@TheNahrstedt]

truuuuu

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

That was beautiful. I totally agree

[@-cosmicrogue-]

Thanks! :) I really liked the comparison you made between the creepiness and ambiguity of a mask and the hotel itself. I love the idea that the hotel is "wearing a mask".

[@aegisgfx]

Get a new friend

[@danielmurray9820]

I think horror works on different levels... there are things a toddler won't find scary, but when they are 10, will be terrified by... early, it goes over their heads, then older.. they can not separate reality from fantasy.. hence they will fear the character from the movie is real and will get them... then you get older and this passes... then though, you go into a different level... the shinning hits this with it's impossible set lay out, windows and doors where it is impossible to have windows and doors, terrible uncertainty.. what is real, what is not, is this in his head or is it real... is it the novel.. is it the angry spirits of the dead Indians... and of course, then there is the other level, like in the babadook or dark skies, where the subtext of parental abuse of a child or neglect is the real story.. or could be... horror has as much range in it as all other film forms combined.. from comedy, to creatures out to get you, to the demonic, to the evil within... and one of the scariest is of course, when the "hero" is in fact the monster.... the ultimate terror... you are the demon.

[@lyonwick52]

For me the thing that was so scary about the shining was the cinematography - when somebody was walking down a corridor, you always see it from their perspective, and every corner they turn seems like something there is going to be hiding there

[@jenaaiton5186]

I love the music for this movie. Even when nothing happens, the music rises, to let us know the hotel is always watching.

[@thatdontmakecent]

I think this movie has become scarier to me as I've aged. There's something of the entropic nihilism in it that worms into my aging/despairing psyche. Great video!

[@XieYali]

The chairs in the background change around or disappear. Entropy sets in. :)

[@BloodylocksBathory]

Agreed. I love the novel but I also love the film. Both are deeply unsettling.

[@dreamlandnightmare]

The movie comforts me. What does that say about me?

[@GaryColemanNC]

Me too! That is weird. I've never told anyone before, but I get a feeling of comfort when watching it. And I've seen it countless times.

[@michaelhenriksen7359]

I think all the light, instead of always dark, almost claustrophobic atmosphere in typical horror movies, make this movie less scary for some.

[@ottolinegwodehouse872]

I think you've nailed it: creepiness, ambiguity and anxiety. I first saw this far too young, with my father believe it or not. I've been obsessed with it ever since. It inspired all of my work through my degree in Fine Art, relating mental illness with corridors as in Victorian Asylums in Britain.

[@kennethchay1098]

@ｋｙｓ So... how's your shit life treating you now? Got a girlfriend yet? Stupid emoji

[@libertyhopeful18]

I'm just down here in the comments so I don't have to see the scenes from the movie

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

It's scary up there.

[@katilalo3039]

same

[@catch.22]

:x yes

[@Pearl127]

Preach!

[@AltPeachStudy]

Ya I can't watch this at 1am I'll come back in the morning

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Dude, trying to edit this at night--not fun

[@Epic8bitGuy]

I bet it wasn't. I just about shit myself every time Danny gets a close up

[@ryanross6884]

Taco Loco that is in the morninf though.

[@carolineyuen3247]

I should have listened to you! I got scared by my own pajamas at 2am

[@thebadg3r]

Same XD

[@Horror-Man]

Ambiguity has always been at the very heart of fear. Wish more filmmakers would wise up to that.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Agreed

[@HauntFreak13]

Agreed, but mass audiences just want jump scares.

[@suckerpunch1646]

@@HauntFreak13 And that's why a lot of "horror" movies are boring, unlike this movie.

[@AnuAnoop07]

agreed .. but nowadays jumpscares are more frequent .. if it doesen't affect the story or the plot , then it is just a cheap trick .. we need things that is more dramatic irony than surprise .. like alfred hitchcock said , i belive that jump scare will only give us shock for some seconds .. after that it is gone ..

[@AnuAnoop07]

@@HauntFreak13 yeah

[@TheAphoticAtrocity]

Creepiest part of the movie to me was what Kubrick put Duvall through.

[@mobstamaniac]

the start of the bloody video scared me, watching late at night ffs.

[@danielmurray9820]

but he's a man... talking about what happened to him wold not fill the aphotic atrocity's need to present as a white knight... lol

[@legoman7041]

Creepiest part was Duvall herself.

[@supersupersomething]

Yeah. For a glimpse of that compare the look on Shelley Duvall's with Kubrick's at 8:58. Jack also looks a bit out of it, but Shelley straight up looks unwell.

[@guitarman0365]

she could have always left though. A worker also has the right to quit if they feel being pushed to hard. While i will not condone excessive directing even if it ends up with good results for the film itself the final say always lies with the individual doing the job to know when they have had enough and do something.

[@BenCtrades]

I hate when people say this movie isn’t “Scary”

[@SolidPain6624]

I think part of the reason you hear people call this movie “overrated” and “not scary” is because this generation is so used to scary movies filled with jump scares and CGI beasts. I don’t know why people enjoy such crap but psychological movies that make you think and question are the best types of horror movies.

[@BenCtrades]

Justin Kiwi that shit now, it’s not true horror. It’s a scary sight then it’s over. This movie haunts me

[@SolidPain6624]

Tyrese Jeffery this movie does make me think... still. My favorite scenes are when Jack is in the Gold room. The dialogue, the color, the imagery, the hidden meanings. Absolutely beautiful.

[@BenCtrades]

Justin Kiwi did you hear about the shining follow up film that their doing?

[@SolidPain6624]

Tyrese Jeffery yep. Comes out next month. I hope it’s good!

[@diegomorett142]

When you showed the part where Kubrick was writing, I expected it to say "All work and no play makes Stanley a dull boy"

[@Sameir8055]

Oh boy... Shining is one of the most studied films, still remains as a mystery. Kubrick... the legend, the master. Thank you for the video. Looking forward for more videos. :)

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks Sameir!

[@antonysebastian6792]

Sameir Ali

[@leVraiQuasar]

Exactly and stephen king hate the movie

[@sunshinepurple1043]

The psychopath. That man put Shelly Duvall through hell.

[@cbabygags2553]

Kubrick is a pretentious douche. This is a great movie, but god is he a prick.

[@maitri5265]

It's social distancing time and I get this recommended to me. Woah, ok KZbin.

[@ForsakenArchAngel]

Yeah, here I am seven months later, still quarantined and was recommended this. Slow ya roll, KZbin!

[@SB-hc1nt]

The isolation, Jack Nicholson a huge part and the Shelly Duval's terror was real and that's a huge part too. The fact he's talking to spirits and slowly losing his mind. The hotel is working against the mother and son and trying to posses Jack's soul. The music is fantastic and paces the mood much especially at the ending credits and that song. Alien and even Hellraiser those soundtracks are so great.

[@StudMacher96]

Sometimes to me it feels like Jack is really the victim, just slowly suffering from isolation. Ready to break at any moment

[@pedropolin]

You are an absolute youtube gem man, keep makin dope ass videos

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks man! :)

[@neonerfilms]

Your videos make my day!!

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

:)

[@cashewbag]

The book is also fantastic, couldn't put it down and felt anxious the whole time. Stephen King deserves some credit for this

[@elmjay]

I think one of the things that scared me the most this whole movie was the use of mirrors in shots and in the background of scenes. I was always convinced that something or someone was going to appear in a mirror every single time there was one on screen, but it never happens (until the REDRUM reveal). It really freaked me out and I found myself feeling so on edge every time a mirror was present.

[@flippert0]

Shining (the movie) never scared or creeped me out like the book. It's is a terrific psychological drama about loneliness, isolation, alcoholism and abuse, however. There's one big difference between book and movie, which takes away from the scariness: in Kubrick's version, Jack was crazy right from the start, whereas in King's novel, the evil influence of the hotel tips an unstable (but not yet crazy) man over the edge.

[@kaewonf8]

Main difference for me was I could finish the movie. The book was unreadable. King is a good storyteller but a bad writer in desperate need of a good editor.

[@B2Roland]

That's funny considering The Shining isn't exactly one of his longer novels.. It's pretty brisk in comparison to something like Insomnia.

[@fuckenps3]

I don't see the difference you describe. How does the influence of the hotel not send him over?

[@flippert0]

In the book, the hotel is a supernatural entitiy of it's own and it actively turns Jack from unstable to outright crazy. In the movie, the remoteness and loneliness of the hotel of course has a detrimental influence on Jack too. But he's definitely more unhinged to begin with than in the book.

[@fuckenps3]

Your description still applies to the movie imo.

[@rianocanain5724]

Doesn't scare me...But disturbed the shit out of me like nothing I've ever seen before

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Agree, but I think I was a LOT more disturbed at real life things, like the live video of The Station fire and people jammed in the doorway, burning to death on camera. While Jack Russell is literally right there next to it, promoting his tour (yeah, no joke)

[@skoomamuch356]

the scene where Danny bikes across the hotel and suddenly the camera pans to the the Twins. its an unsettling scene from a kid's (me) perspective in the 90's and i only saw that particular scene from the movie *Twister* where some teens watching that scene from *The Shining* from a drive-by cinema. #Filmception

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

I remember that scene! That was my first exposure to it as well.

[@TobiaLaurentum]

1:18 The Kubrick Archive is a wonderfully unique experience. It's like going to your grandad's house and looking through all his old notes, pictures and things he's collected. Except your grandad is Stanley Kubrick.

[@Baghuul]

Danny starring at Halloran with the zoom in with the heart beat sound effect, then that slow turn towards Danny "Howd you like some Ice cream Doc?" Makes my skin crawl every time.

[@gustoonz]

I have waited so long for this.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

:)

[@michaelwillett7564]

Ayyyyyee, Gus! Did not expect to see you on a Shining interpretation video. Haha

[@ozzy6771]

gub

[@DoctorChibi740]

I like to think the soundtrack to the movie is the star here. The uneasiness of the falling violins.... just... wow.

[@daffodilclouds2443]

My family lives in the town where the Stanley hotel is (the real overlook) at that hotel, the piano plays itself, the paintings look into your soul, and some people talk to ghosts. We go over there all the time just to see what will happen to us that day. My aunt swears she met the owner (who is dead) and I’ve walked past mirrors that don’t show my reflection.

[@megag52]

people like you are what makes the internet grt. hard working clever folks who make everyone smarter and teach us about a fascinating topic that we wouldn't norm learn bout. thanks a lot

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

:) Thanks!

[@merpderp7223]

The old lady in the bath tub still scares me when I think of it

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Yeah. Freaky.

[@PogieJoe]

That's probably the scariest moment of the film for me.

[@euansinclair5293]

Eww such a creepy scene

[@jamilabrownie]

They didn't tell that little boy he was in a horror movie that's how.

[@baab4229]

Well that wasn't my proudest fap

[@dejihuam]

In the bank rolling scene when Danny gets up the floor changes slightly. It’s design goes backwards as to say that something is wrong or out of place but the viewer doesn’t know what.

[@bye2941]

I watched The Shining when I was little, it's become one of my favorite films but I'm not sure why I wasn't really disturbed by it

[@prraattiik]

Honestly, this is the only movie which gave me nightmares, and I watch a number of psychological horrors. One thing I didn't got was, Who opened the refrigerator door for Jack?! o_O

[@cambotcecptt332]

Pratik Gedam Johnny? It's jack

[@prraattiik]

Cambot MST3K My bad. Lol. I happen to remember his 'door scene' name.... "Here's Johnny!"

[@ellep3742]

Mr. Grady (he was talking to Jack through the door right before you hear the bolt unlatch) Or if you want to theorize that nothing preternatural was going on the whole time, the whole dialogue with Grady could have been imagined and Jack could have found the fire ax inside the storage room because most storage rooms and freezers like that have an ax in them in case of emergencies like getting locked inside.

[@TheEmptyForever]

the Overlook, I think

[@fuckenps3]

Spoiler alert . As far as I'm concerned the supernatural element of the film is matter-of-fact. Confirmed by the last shot featuring the old photograph containing Jack.

[@purefoldnz3070]

Kubrick's use of steady-cam is brilliant here. It draws the audience into the picture in process called Parallax meaning we the audience feel like we are in and surrounded by the events that are happening.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Very true!

[@AP-bn5uf]

Whenever I tell people that the shining is the scariest film I’ve ever seen, they laugh and say it just isn’t scary, so I’m glad to know it psychologically affected other people too 😂

[@unluckyladybugg]

The Shining is the perfect horror movie. i honestly can’t get enough of it. the great acting, the suspense, the music, and how it gets into your head. the fact that you can tell what’s going to happen, creeps some people out. the little details that are constantly in ever scene also add to the creepy ness. the beginning is when it’s the most suspenseful and creepy, because perfectly normal things are happening but the music gets your adrenaline running like somethings going to happen. but as you get to the end of the movie, you realize what’s going to happen, so it gets more exciting. i don’t know if any of this made complete sense, but i’m just a hardcore shining fan sharing my idea.

[@lucasmsg4178]

The dark city street at 4:40 is actually a haunted street here in São Paulo, Brazil

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Oh, interesting!

[@eac-ox2ly]

Which street exactly?

[@lucasmsg4178]

This one: www.google.com/maps/@-23.555779,-46.6346226,3a,75y,185.54h,88.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s60hjwWufqVeoDKNZdTQjWQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[@eac-ox2ly]

Lucas Massoni Sguerra Interesting indeed.

[@battleupsaber462]

Next video should be "The Amazing Bulk- Making a Movie Masterpiece".

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

googled. lol'd.

[@Chrono337]

IT BROKE NEW GROUND

[@HowToWatchMovies]

Please god, no.

[@mjk-th2tm]

Your point about creepiness, and how it results from ambiguity is interesting. I’ve always been curious about the role of Bill Watson, the summer caretaker (the man who arrives late to the interview scene). His role, to me, is exactly that, creepy. As they tour the hotel he is often walking behind the group, and he rarely speaks. He’s hardly even referenced. His facial expressions don’t change (like the twins). I’ve always wondered what he’s thinking, and what kinds of things he’s seen, or what he knows. People forget he’s even in the movie but Kubrick wouldn’t have put him in the movie without a reason.

[@drazlet]

i honestly think this is your best video its sad to see how criminally underrated it is

[@ShatteredGlass916]

Junji Ito and Kubrick sits together and plans their own horror movie.. .......welp, gotta bring some new pants to the theater

[@CharlieTooHuman]

Definitely would have been something like Silent Hill

[@miguelpereira9859]

that would have been a dream come true

[@gryffindoor5646]

Please, they would make the best love child of a film

[@user-nc5wc7dh7l]

Please do a video on Donnie Darko.

[@georginakaye1021]

Yes!!!

[@CallMeNumber8]

Yes! Has he done it already? Anyone?

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

only the Director's cut. It's the only one that makes sense.

[@jamzyall3830]

YES!!!

[@nickmattio3397]

“Brought u breakfast in bed, eggs sunny side up just like you like em.” “-mmm nice. What time is it?” “- You slept in its 11:30. Been staying up too late. -“Heh heh, don’t I know it. I should probably try and get some writing done...”

[@lar9299]

This is gold! Loved it. But after this, one thing gets even clearer to me: God bless Jack Nicholson and his talent. What a remarkable actor.

[@Vince009]

Do Cast Away and the importance of a non verbal character. WILSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

WILSONNNN!!!!!

[@gredangeo]

Yes please. I'm curious to know how a silent character changes the plot.

[@danielmurray9820]

the silent character let's us hear the protagonists thoughts... a voice over is usually damaging to a film, but the silent character, Wilson, provides a vehicle for narration of thoughts and feelings, and exposition of course... to get exposition in in a way that isn't to jarring is softly done by the non speaking character.. Wilson in this case. Of course for the isolated character Hanks plays, Wilson ends up becoming like a person, and so helps with his loneliness.. we se this in the emotion Hanks shows towards Wilson at certain "high" points.. like when he "drowns" .. we see grief as if a person has died.. but also for himself, now totally alone.

[@latrellsprewell653]

Yes! The only film that made me cry over a volleyball!!

[@chazgiustina8870]

You sound like a really great guy, good luck with your channel

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Daw, thanks Chaz! Cute profile pic :P

[@koyunbaba73]

By the way, that is the best definition of "creepy" I've ever heard in my life. Your analysis is superb. The movie isn't so much scary as it is disturbing.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

You know movies and you make good stuff. Subbed.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thank you!

[@ocanaldofonseca]

Great video! The creepiness is what makes most of David Lynch's movies impossible to watch for me. It's a kind of creepiness that scares me so much more than any horror movie ever could. Go figure. :D

[@targaghjj]

I'm exactly the same. There's a movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is the scariest move I've ever seen for creepiness. I can't watch it alone at night. I showed to friends though and they were unimpressed.

[@linavibe07]

Felipe Fonseca I feel the same way about Lynch's films.

[@AHHHHHHHHHHHHl]

Me too, but Eraserhead is the only one of his movies I can stand to watch.

[@devilzdandruff9199]

lurch321 to be fair... Kubrick's films are pretentious as hell. 2001 has, what is perhaps the most pretentious opening in cinema history. How he lines up the music to the titles and so forth..

[@ihsantriapramanda1973]

+Devilz DandruFF but it works, right?

[@danilthorstensson8902]

Great analysis of one of my favorite movies! I actually wrote a 30 page paper on this same concept of "creepiness" in horror, with a good six pages devotes to The Shining. If anyone is interested in learning more about why psychological horror films like this one are frightening, I would suggest Freud's essay on "the uncanny." This concept is the backbone of most of Lynch's work as well as, obviously, The Shining.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Oh fascinating. I'll have to check that out!

[@UIAL570]

7:10 anyone else notice that the ball rolls from a brown strip of carpet, suddenly the entire scene is turned around and Danny is surrounded by the orange shape 😂

[@PerpetualArt]

4:59 Notice the Bears costume is closed in the back. My Blu Ray has the back open. The scene is a couple of seconds longer in the Blu Ray version.

[@kingofwakanda6899]

Yes another vid! I love this channel. Film analysis is my jam!

[@ncnation3253]

this guy sounds like he can make anything sound good

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Many thanks to the King of Wakanda ;)

[@kingofwakanda6899]

Lessons from the Screenplay no no thank you! 😁👏🏾

[@qBuju]

Honestly the shining doesnt scare me but gives me shills.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Is "shills" like the "shivers" + the "chills." Because I'd say that's accurate for me too.

[@qBuju]

Lessons from the Screenplay Yeah shivers, creepy as you said.

[@qBuju]

Also love ur vids, great timing for ur vid to come out, my birthday, lol :)

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Buju Oh cool. Happy Birthday! :)

[@keeganollerhead2075]

I think thats the overall point of the movie. Everyone says the shinning isn't scary. But every time I watch it I feel this sense of dread come over me. Its not suppose to be jump in your face scary. Its supposed to make you afraid of everything thats happening.

[@Funczar]

i got ptsd from the "all work and no play" scene. i tip my hat to whoever had to write all of that themselves. Their work was not in vain

[@angelamitchel3984]

I was never scared of the Shining, but every time I watch it, it gets creepier and creepier.

[@FiggityJones]

I've said it for years, creepiness is the best kind of horror. This video was awesome dude! I love everything on this channel! ^_^

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks man! :)

[@anthonyzucchero8676]

You MUST do breaking bad at some point. Expertly written.

[@threedeemelodies]

he should do a theory on why walter white is a fuck wad

[@aann7132]

three dee melodie The only thing I didn’t like about Walt was when he threw that pizza on the roof and wasted it.

[@SajalKr]

He did make a vdo on it :)

[@avanindrad5988]

Maybe Michael can find the exact moment at which hank turns into Heisenberg

[@shifty2755]

Breaking bad was awful. Like game of thrones.

[@teabagNBG]

i can agree 100 percent NO MOVIE ever gave me this feeling i had from shining u really scared what happens next. its a master piece... the camerea handling and the music and the whole atmosphere is just scary!! perfect! is there any movie close to the shinging? i never found one?!? why cant they make movies like this again ...

[@geordangullock1237]

Every scene is iconic, every shot is a work of art.

[@vanquish421]

Fantastic as always. Can you please consider doing a video on Heat? Such an amazing movie about the duality of nature, order and chaos, right and wrong. Lot going on in that screenplay, I feel.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks! I love Heat. I love the approach of telling two sides of the story.

[@bibliofowl]

The biggest problem I have with the movie version of The Shining is the way Jack is portrayed. From the beginning you know he's the bad guy and he's really creepy and that's fine but it's boring. In the book Jack Torrance is a guy who is overcoming alcoholism. He's ashamed at what he's done to hurt his family and he's trying to be better. In the book the Overlook corrupts him and he tries to atone for it at the end; whereas, in the movie, he seems to have just been waiting for a chance to go crazy and chop up his family. On its own the movie is pretty good but when it's compared to the book at least one character just falls short.

[@hoganholo99]

Aaron Tate The book also has dancing hedge monsters.

[@bibliofowl]

...and?

[@jabayzaballa8581]

Aaron Tate I agree, book Jack is more interesting. But while I can analyze King's character, I can be frightened by Kubrick's Jack. He isn't given a reason to be sympathetic and is thus more chilling. I'd have to do research but King didn't want Jack Nicholson cast as Jack. He wanted someone "less creepy" and more relatable. But they are each two different stories so I digress. The point is Jack is in both versions is strong character. One is more interesting and developed. And one happens to be a looming threat that scares you more. Personally I like book Jack more, but only one scares me more.

[@Retrostar619]

"he seems to have just been waiting for a chance to go crazy and chop up his family" I think the key difference is that King was interested in character, whereas Kubrick was only interested in character as a means to explore more abstract and psychological themes. Kubrick would often tell actors that what they were doing might have been truthful, but it wasn't interesting (Interesting in Kubrick-speak I take to mean contributing to whatever subconscious themes he is weaving into the film). So movie Jack isn't so much a character as a device. Both approaches can work, but the movie Jack is the one that scares the mortal piss outta me. I think this is because movie Jack as such an extreme version of the male ID that you can't help but examine yourself, or the people around you. The way he uses his (imagined and real) responsibilities as an excuse to avoid being present for his wife and child. His contemptuous dismissal of every thought that comes from his family members (which starts with the car ride up to the overlook, showing that the spirits were only pouncing on existing, deep-seated issues). His complete isolation as a person. The way he ignores his own personal failings and pours them into HATRED for his supportive and loving family. The way he greedily gives into lust for the ghost woman. The fact that he seems unable to view his wife as a real person. The fact that he considers her stupid (I think it's also key to remember that his underestimating her ultimately leads to his downfall - there is a theme at play there). The fact that you can't really make any excuses for him is one of the things I find most chilling, especially when it comes to Jack's deluded attempts to justify his actions, before just finally giving into his impulses without any pretence "You didn't let me finish my sentence, Wendy. I said I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to bash your brains in. I'm gonna bash 'em right the fuck in!" So, therefore, in that context "he seems to have just been waiting for a chance to go crazy and chop up his family." is the scariest thing about the film for me, as it suggests a biting and bleakly comic criticism of the modern middle-American chap. I get that it might not float everybody's boat, but every time I dig it out, the film just keeps on improving for me .

[@dylanplank1305]

Hey man, I would have to disagree. I believe that if you look at Nicholson's very subtle acting throughout the movie, you see a man attempting to fight the influence of the overlook. I see a lot of hesitation in his face and demeanor. Now this is just a theory, as I've watched this movie tripping many times and you can glean many crazy things from that. But, you can even see in the scene with Mr. Grady in the bathroom that jack may just be playing along with Delbert. I think Jack is just bewildered and scared, and whatever spiritual presence that is in the hotel is truly what needs to be feared. I see two sides of Jack in this film, and of course, he ultimately succumbs to evil. I don't even think it is far-fetched to wonder if the man trying to kill his family isn't even jack. This is a kubrick film, so I wouldnt put it past the movie to have a complete subtext of characterization through actions, and not obvious through dialogue, for it's main character. All i'm saying is this: I think it is apparent through subtlety in acting that Jack "descends" into this darkness. I think he was trying to fight it, but he succumbed. Although, I haven't read the book past the scene with the maintenance man in the boiler room with Jack, so take from that what you will. I just really love Kubrick (plus this film in particular) because of the complete ambiguity in message, themes, and intention. So im just some kubrick fan attempting to grasp at meaning here.

[@jordansievert2154]

I can watch horror movies all night and be fine. Watching this in the middle of the day with the lights on scares the shit out of me.

[@seahorseod]

I love your videos so much! I'm entertained yet I learn a lot whilst viewing, well done. It's obvious you put a tonne of hard work into them ☺️

[@SWLY123]

The greatest horror movie of all time

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

This and Alien are my favorites.

[@traviswilliams4994]

Alien is such a masterpiece

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Goat T At the moment, making KZbin videos :)

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Travis Williams Yes!

[@idanatias6272]

not a horror movie, more like a psychological thriller

[@robbe_y_6402]

I like the way your editing matches your "video telling style". Keep up the good work! :)

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thank you! :)

[@ralatnesar]

Your videos are amazing, the editing, the essay, the selected examples, the structure in which is presented, the overall result. Great job, thank you, and please keep up the good work!

[@jywel417]

Brilliant channel! I miss my screenplay classes from college ! Love the way you break things down and now I have more books to read on screenwriting!

[@themajesticnarwhal3273]

I love your channel so much, you should do a video on Silence of the Lambs next

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks! A few people have suggested that. Definitely on my list!

[@themajesticnarwhal3273]

I'm glad you took the time to respond, keep up the good work

[@themajesticnarwhal3273]

***** both of those would be really good

[@matiaspage]

Great analysis! Also very well put together as a video. The Shining is one of my favorite films ever. Kubrick was simply brilliant. A genius.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks!

[@shadowman2192]

Its funny how certain movies can really get under a person's skin more than others. I love The Shining but have never thought it was scary at all. But y'know what movie scares the crap outta me? A Nightmare On Elm Street. Most people laugh at me for it.

[@gracieb.3054]

Some people just don't have the emotional sensitivity or depth to really think about an idea. Sleep is when we are at our most vulnerable. An attack from within our dreams therefore should be pretty horrifying. I think it was just that Freddy got cornier and had these stupid one liner's that made it a joke, and that people don't get scared when it's part 14 and everyone knows what's going to happen.

[@FranciscoDeNegri]

Creepy. such a great word. It reminded me of what Freud called "The Uncanny". The feeling of strangeness and unsettlement within the familiar. I think this is why this film should be approached also with psychoanalytical theory! Good job. LOVE your vids :)

[@Rhiggins5173]

The pattern on the floor reverses between cuts @7:08. Great video btw. Well produced very well put together.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thank you!

[@drakenfist]

Great video!. I watched the Shining only once. I was six years old and I saw a preview for it on tv, I saw a man running around in the snow, weird red writing flashing on the screen and then a flicker of that same man saying "heres johnny!". It looked like a comedy so I begged my mother to record it for me. She constantly told me that it was too scary but I was convinced it was a comedy. "a man running through the snow chasing people around in a axe, that is so silly!, it has to be a comedy!", I thought to myself. She eventually relented, recorded it and said "don't tell me I didn't warn you". So, in the summer of 1993, I got home from school, placed the video in the vcr, sat on the couch and watched the movie. My blood froze and by around the half way mark I was just as frightened as Danny!, and just as scared with us being the same age I literally felt like I was him and was in the film. Just as you said, the lack of expression on those two little girls were what was so scary. It was the disconnect between the brightly lit atmosphere of the hotel and the imagery: weird people in costumes, blood in the elevator and the two girls. I had nightmares of the two girls for four months and I left the light on every night.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Oh man. That must have been so intense. That's like when I watched Alien as a kid because I thought I liked sci-fi (Star Wars, Star Trek). It was definitely not as fun as those. But I love it!

[@drakenfist]

it was!. everytime i thought of the girls. i would freak out. hide under the sheets and start crying. I an a huge horror fan now. did you get nightmares from watchin Alien so young?.

[@miguelpereira9859]

That is hilarious.

[@seen921]

I enjoy coming back to some of your essays. This is a great one. There's so many layers of King's Shining and how it was executed. Those nuances

[@AysieElf]

I love you... never stop making these!

[@rhettannandale]

Great stuff as always. Congrats on 100k, you deserve all the subs coming your way.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks! :)

[@ChadMichaelSimon]

If only you had a dollar for every subscription! :-D

[@Gleem1313]

I think you have hit on why the film is a pretty good horror film. It isn't really so much the writing, but the framing, attention to visual detail, musical detail and the like. I have never felt that the story hangs together well. Important pieces of it seem disjointed or simply left out, but it certainly is a creepy movie. No one can do better than the nuanced performance of Jack Nicholson. If you simply look at his lines, there isn't a ton to work with, but Jack did it. The Overlook is the house that Jack built.

[@divyanshdubey231]

Very well -explained and broken down. I like your thought process and the simple manner in which the video is presented to the viewer. Keep going!

[@bea.c.a.m]

just watching this and remembering the scenes creeped the hell out of me. great job Michael, you rock!

[@Retrostar619]

Hey man, thanks for enduring the bad dreams and giving us an excellent analysis of what makes The Shining so very creepy! :-) The idea of horror being more unsettling by being masked by normalcy ties into another theory about the film, which is that it is about the underlying madness of a want/take/consume society, and what equating 'having plenty' with happiness will do to society. Hence the various tracking shots through the hotel's well-stocked kitchen and the importance of the freezer room as a key plot point.

[@sophiasophia4200]

This video was so well made! The script being spoken, the music, the editing, the quotes from different people involved in making the Shining, all help in making this video super entertaining and informative!! Good job!!

[@linkfan160]

What an excellent video. Well edited and straight to the point. I've seen The Shining over 50 times probably but I always seem to find new things to learn about it. Thank you. This was extremely interesting for me to watch, especially as an aspiring screenwriter.

[@princessthyemis]

This is BRILLIANT! and you did so much research, too--my hat goes off to you!

[@averyvolk3355]

Incredible! I am a huge Shining fan and this analysis is beautifully done. I really hope you will do Silence of the Lambs - I know I am not the first to request it. ;) Love your vids!!

[@igorfrederico2629]

For a channel that have the focus on the screenplay, you are one of the best on editing and recreating atmosphere that I've ever seen. I'm lreally loving this!

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Thanks Igor! It helps that directing and editing are the main things I've always focused on and pursued. I started this channel to force me to spend more time on the writing side of things.

[@igorfrederico2629]

Oh, that's preety interesting. I feel that too. The need to push ourselves to get better on the things that we are not. But I really thought that you were already a screenplay guy. That's awesome to know.

[@LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

Absolutely. I think it's all about finding systems that just force you to get better at the things you want to improve on. And I've definitely written screenplays before, because I've written anything I've directed, but a common theme is that the script has always been the weakest part. So, want to improve on that!

[@generalcrustard0311]

I love how your introduction to each section is always in the same format as the films you're discussing. Great work.

[@morgansifer]

This is a fantastic analysis - one of the best I've seen and that's certainly an accomplishment given the endless fascination the film still creates to this day. Your correct observations regarding the unknown threat of the hotel is what has always drawn me to this film. Rather like a bad dream where nothing quite makes sense and everything is distorted.