At The Overlook Hotel, there is a picture of two bears above Danny's bed, and there's a prominently featured bear skin rug in the lobby. This scene has been interpreted many ways, and one of the most popular explanations is that it represents the hotel absorbing Jacks soul. He also made a brief appearance in one of the bizarre " WTF ?" scenes in the 1980 adaptation of The Shining by director Stanley Kubrick. Another important detail is that Jack doesnt wear a wedding ring at all in the film, not even when he and his family are driving to the hotel, but Wendy always wears hers. A drunk Jack, in a fit of rage had dislocated Dannys shoulder and this is presented as a possible explanation for Danny to develop a separate personality (Tony). Later in the film, the adult Bullingdon is played by Leon Vitali. Breaking the cycle. The supposed connection is that Monarch is believed to be the codename for one of the CIAs mind control experiments, though this is mere conjecture. But that hasnt stopped people all over the world from trying. We are shown a photograph in the hallway at the end, which is dated July 4,1921 and has Jack smiling with a crowd of people at a party. published July 29, 2020. He also echoes back the same words the Grady twins say, forever and ever and ever. Both the usage of pre-existing music and the original score composed for The Shining are standouts of the genre. The Shining Caretaker Explained, Every Shining Character Who Returns In Doctor Sleep. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment [deleted] Its rumbling overcome by Jacks maddening bellows, who eventually freezes to death. This is typed inconsistently throughout , with typos and no punctuations highlighting Jacks own ever-growing trance or unstable mental health over the course. In the scene, Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) is roaming through the halls of The Overlook Hotel with a knife when she approaches a door at the end of a long hallway. She has either overlooked or deliberately ignored the abuse that has cause Dannys problems. , including our own theory that its actually a Christmas movie! This theory goes all the way back to classic Greek myths. In Lolita, Mason played Humbert Humbert, a man who has a sexual relationship with his underage stepdaughter. The number 42 was shown on Dannys shirt as a parallel with the sexual relationship content of the film Summer of 42, and Danny is wearing it in the early summer scenes of the film. Copyright 2023 Metaflix Media LLC. For a detailed description of this subplot follow this link. All Rights Reserved. Theres also a poster of bears right above Dannys bed with the smaller bear on its knees. 13 minutes into the movie when Danny wakes up in his bedroom, his head rests on a bear pillow and very surprisingly 13 minutes from the end we encounter the bear man. Jack takes his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), with him, but little do they know, the Overlook has some dark secrets of its own. In particular, we see Jack Nicholson and James Mason having a personal chat, while the rest of Masons family meet Kubrick himself. This was a controversial essay claiming that the medical professions have a tendency to mistakenly label physical health conditions as manifestations of psychological problems. But, to be perfectly honest, every other piece of evidence in support of this theory is beyond far-fetched and not to be taken seriously. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. As for all the weird stuff Wendy stumbles across while running through the hotel, like the guy in the bear suit blowing the party guest and the lift full of blood, it's like Halloran said earlier in the film: "A lot of things happened in this hotel over the years, and not all of them were good". The most disturbing aspect of the movie and something that creeped me out after thinking about it (I am an avid horror movie fan but this aspect is just terrifying). While some fans felt this missed an opportunity to add some meaning to The Shining bear suit, Flanagan felt trying to give the bear from The Shining a backstory would disrupt the rest of the movie. I love Joe Turkels mesmerizing performance as Lloyd, his calmness giving a helping hand to Jacks boiling conscious. and our These dates line up to the precise year that lightning strikes hit a monument a town wrought with countless Native American deaths. A very expensive split-second because it requires a working second storey to be added to the already incredibly large Lounge set. What she sees when she gets there is a disturbing image of a man in a bear costume performing fellatio on a man in a tuxedo. ", Related: What Jack Nicholson Was Really Like Filming The Shining. Traces of his films can even be seen decades after their release; Interstellar and The Tree of Life (2001 : A Space Odyssey), Trainspotting (A Clockwork Orange), almost every heist movie pays tribute to The Killing, Alice in Wonderland (The Shining) or House of Cards (Eyes Wide Shut). Here is a piece of evidence which on its own acts as virtual confirmation of this theme. This makes the scene even more baffling and the unknown even more frightening. The Shining Is About Sexual Abuse. The Bear in The Shining has a lasting legacy though an especially unsettling moment in an already unsettling film. His name is a rightful synonym for perfection, with even his errors draining the life out of you in deciphering the genius behind them. Its understandable: Kubrick asked for freedom to change whatever he wanted, and he wasnt kidding. Danny cleverly retraces back his footsteps and makes a false trail to confuse an already transfixed Jack and audience (the high pitched score literally tears you apart with anxiety and the fact that Kubrick changed the whole story in favor of a more pessimistic theme leaves you wondering about the outcome), who follows the footprints to get nowhere. A popular theory, and one that has gone very deep into the symbolism of The Shining, says that the film also addresses sexual abuse. In the psychiatrist scene Danny lays on the bed with his jeans removed and his hands curiously covering his groin area, just as Jack did in the fatherly love scene. Jack calls Danny and makes him sit on his lap while asking him about the Overlook and if he liked it, saying I want you to like it with a weak smile while rubbing Dannys shoulder, emphasizing the control he is inflicting. Last update on 2023-02-28 / Source: Amazon Affiliates. For all of the supernatural twists and turns in The Shining's story, knowing that it's based on a real location makes the film (and its ending) all the creepier, even though King reportedly hated many of the changes. Wendy Torrance, (played by Shelly Duvall) frantically roams the halls of the Overlook Hotel looking for her son Danny while her husband, Jack Torrence ( played by Jack Nicholson) goes on an axe rampage. Jack had a history of anger issues and violence, mainly against his family. He was a figure associated with a variety of grand adventures throughout his life, the grandest of which being his ordeal with King Minos minotaur in the labyrinth. Therefore, it makes sense why Doctor Sleep didn't include The Shining bear man. Surprisingly, Jack expresses nothing but anticipation towards the role of the caretaker. the scene really doesnt make sense in the movie and i've never read the book so idk if its explained there. Physical child abuse is clear from Dannys broken arm, his trauma response, and the words of his child psychologist. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? Before we get into The Shining fan theories, its important to acknowledge the source material. But The Shining bear man does have a disturbing and specific implication. On the subject of wedding rings, a consistent detail is that none of the males in the film wear one. Another shot through the mirrors perspective with Jack waking up and explaining Wendy about a feelingof deja vu in the hotel. And Kubrick all but disregarded the novel when making the film. Why did Kubrick break his code of on-set secrecy and why did he show this meeting in the documentary? This concept is further paralleled in our first view of Dannys bedroom in the Overlook. Notice how Ullman even points his finger at the magazine as if informing us of its significance. This broader theory became directly connected to The Shining as Kubricks subtle way of validating the claims. First of all theres the obvious homosexual innuendo, but the story titles featured on this particular issue include the following: INTERVIEW: THE SELLING OF (STARSKY & HUTCHS) DAVID SOUL. Realizing that he is leaving footprints in the snow, Danny carefully maneuvers backwards over his own . But it is clear that there is no Jack Torrance left, his insanity has reached its zenith. Who are these people? Because what we really see are two different versions. In the lobby Danny and Wendy watch a film called Summer of 42, which is about a young man who has an affair with an older woman. And both of them have sexual relations with a minor within their own family unit. Kubrick decided to direct a comparatively crowd appealing film, maybe as a result of the financially poor performance of Barry Lyndon, which by many revered critics and filmmakers is considered to be his best film. In conversation with Deadline, King stated: I think The Shining is a beautiful film and it looks terrific and as Ive said before, its like a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside itI kept my mouth shut at the time, but I didnt care for it much. In the HD version, several book and newspaper titles are visible in the psychiatrist scene. Jack goes to check out the room and finds a naked lady who seduces and begins to kiss him and Jack gives in, only to be taken aback by seeing a decaying old lady with him in the mirror. However, skeptics would say these could easily be a result of simple continuity errors. Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. The shot of the bathroom door with Danny bending is very similar to the shot of the room with the bear man performing fellatio on an unknown man in a posture similar to Dannys. Jack embraced Danny on the bed in the fatherly love scene, from which Danny would have also been able to see his own predicament in a mirror. Next: The Shining: The True Story & Real-Life Hotel Behind The Movie. Jack admits to having underestimated the task and promises to go to any length to finish it, and his door unseemingly gets unlocked. Diane Johnson said this of Stanley Kubrick's non-horror vision: "The ending was changed almost entirely because Kubrick found it a clich to just blow everything up. The meaning and topics addressed in the novel are very different than those in The Shining movie Stephen King hates so much, given Kubricks many changes to the story in order to fit his vision. The aforementioned sequel, Doctor Sleep, got a cinematic adaptation that serves as both a sequel to The Shining novel and Kubricks film, in a way. Why the bear costume? Wendy runs around the hotel searching for Danny, and encounters ghosts, the flooding red liquid, skeletons in a completely changed section of the hotel covered with cobwebs and torn hangings and probably the most disturbing instance in the movie, the bear man performing fellatio on a man with blazing tribal music in the background. The scene dissolves and we can feel the frustration dripping out of Jack, which is brilliantly conveyed through the thumping rebounds of the tennis ball. Decoding this puzzling moment, superfans of The Shining have long pointed to the relevance of bears throughout the film, with several references being made throughout the movie that each build to one likely explanation. There are also various historical parallels that support the theory that Kubrick wanted to express subtle themes surrounding the genocide of Native Americans. Another connection is that both of these bear motifs are featured in relation to beds or bedrooms. But there was always one particular scene in the movie that left me with an unsettling feeling: the bear man scene. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The Shining's Room 237 is known for having a female specter, as referenced when Jack encounters a woman in the bath. The easiest one to notice is in the scene of Danny talking to the psychiatrist. Kubrick didnt just show us random footage from the set. The Shining novel, however, has a very different ending, and one that even made way for a sequel: Doctor Sleep. Jack comes back and lies to Wendy about finding anyone there and leaves enraged when she asks him to get Danny out of here, blaming her for f*cking up his life. There is also Jack and Danny's conversation in the apartment suite with Danny on Jack's lap. The Bear Man. But The Shining bear man does have a disturbing and specific implication. It is less of a stretch to consider this interpretation as a distillation of clear subtext on child abuse that some viewers might miss. Jack gets annoyed by Wendy coming in while he was working and tries hard not to completely lose it. Add to that the fact that he reads Playgirl magazine. Theres no doubt regarding his undisputed title of the greatest film maker in the history of cinema, and though people may point out Tarkovsky or Kurosawa or Bergman, none of them has influenced the art to such an extent. Kubrick replaced the hedge animals in the book with a hedge maze, which like the movie offers endless possibilities but barely any solution. It seems ridiculous on the surface, but Ager's in-depth analysis points to some very compelling evidence of sexual abuse. It seems that commitment to family is a problem for all of these males. Some details supporting the latter is that Jack leers at other women several times in the film. Despite being strange and somewhat out of place, The Shining bear scene exists in the book as well but involves a man dressed as a dog who is performing the sex act on one of The Overlook's owners, who was bisexual. Among those are the ending of The Shining and some of the scenes that come moments before that final shot of the photo. Move forward a few seconds and we see a close-up of Jack, his unsettling green eyes beautifully matching the green sweater, a rough stubble compared to his shaven appearance a few seconds earlier, indications of insomnia as a result of writers block. Well explain each theory, why people believe it, and look at the corroborating evidence. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. But some take the theory farther and interpret the film as a representation of sexual abuse. Its now even more clear why Kubrick chose such a sombre piece of music for the fatherly love scene. With a booming siren in the background conveying the initiation of an emergency, we are in the yellow car and we come to know Danny watched something about cannibalism on T.V, and earlier Jack mentions his wife being a horror addict and shes also seen smoking with quivering fingers. The scene with the man in the dog costume and the man in a tuxedo is the one used to support this theory, which says the dog represents young Danny Torrance (who earlier in the film is shown to have a plush toy) and the man in the tuxedo represents Jack. The fact that his films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining require detailed explanations says a lot about his craft. The bear symbolizes homosexuality and sexual abuse. Danny goes back to his room to get his firetruck and sees a grim looking Jack, his face shown through the mirror again. The Shining bear is no different, and, if Rob Ager's theory is correct, could explain a much darker nature to the relationship between Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) and his father, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson). To some, the scene may seem insignificant and almost forgettable especially in the midst of Jacks murderous rampage. Perhaps the Overlook hotel is merely something of a mental prison for Danny, with his peculiar powers bringing in the consciousnesses of his mother and father in order to process his sexual abuse. In The Shining, Danny and Hallorann are the two characters with shining abilities, which allows them to communicate with each other even when miles apart. Why does Tony stay in Dannys mouth? One of the most memorable scenes from The Shining is the blood coming out from the elevator. Danny writes REDRUM with a red crayon on the door of the bathroom while Wendys sleeping and starts repeating it to wake her up. King famously hated the adaptation in Kubricks film because it was such a far cry from his original story. Wednesday, and Danny finds the Room 237 ajar and we see him walking towards it because a red ball rolls upto him out of nowhere from that direction. Even the Gold Room is spatially impossible due to its enormous size, a beautiful irony of the vastness of the effect of claustrophobia. Danny laying on the bear pillow with his pants removed and hands over his genitals. Of course, there are some more convincing (and coherent) than others, but The Shining is, at its core, a story about violence and abuse and how these are often cyclical. The infamous bear costume scene and the quick view of Jack reading a Playgirl magazine are pointed to as evidence that Dannys abuse goes beyond physical into sexual. We are no more shown the mirror, questioning the accuracy of the depiction, while he makes Danny sit on his lap and this is when Jack abuses him (the bathroom door is open and theres no toilet paper). Jack, Ullman, Bill Watson, Lloyd the bartender not one wedding ring, and Gradys hands are gloved so we cant see whether he is wearing a ring or not. Observe the thick scrapbook with newspaper cutouts beside the typewriter which is only shown for a scene unlike the novel where Jack continuously uses the scrapbook describing the tragedies that took place at The Overlook, a catalyst for his descent into madness. This idea even served as the basis for a mockumentary film from director Matt Johnson calledOperation Avalanche. Wendy Torrance, (played by Shelly Duvall) frantically roams the halls of the Overlook Hotel looking for her son Danny while her husband, Jack Torrence ( played by Jack Nicholson) goes on an axe rampage. 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