Comments on: How Stanley Kubrick’s Editing Conveys a Horrifying Supernatural Vision in The Shining

By: Ned Harkey

Ned Harkey — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:30:34 +0000

Awesome breakdown of one of the films scariest moments. Very memorable scene which served to build sweat producing tension and really just give you the creeps! That scene always comes to mind when I think back about that movie. Also ranks high as one of the scariest ghostly encounter scenes ever filmed.

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:42:57 +0000

Great post! Beautiful editing indeed.

This and the last scene where Jack goes after his wife and Danny with the axe scared me the most. But the sound plays a big role here, try looking at it with the sound turned off, no longer scary then.

Keep it up!

By: Alice

Alice — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Well Susan, sorry you didn’t like it. In my case I found the film extremely boring. It was slow paced, dull and just not scary. And this is one of your favourites? LOL The book is 100 times better and that blows my socks off!!!

By: anand

anand — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:47:23 +0000

nice work. it helps we can understand the scene better.any body knows website about analaies scene or movie?pls tell me thank u.

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By: Kubrick Made the Shining Scarier – The Valley Mag

Kubrick Made the Shining Scarier – The Valley Mag — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:55:42 +0000

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By: the dude

the dude — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:47:46 +0000

I read the book before I saw the movie. I think both were terrifying in their own right. I think it’s very difficult to ever truly port a book to a film, because everyone reads a book and imagines it differently. There is also way too much in most books to fit into a 2 and a half hour movie.

Although often disappointed by film adaptations (Jurassic Park comes to mind) the Shining was an exception. Kubric managed to take the basic story and create his own unique and terrifying vision. This movie really exists on its own, separate from King’s excellent novel. Both King and Kubric are masters in their own respective fields and I appreciate both these works.

Great post by the way, I know nothing about filming so this is very interesting.

By: Kalynn

Kalynn — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:50:36 +0000

this is Definitely one of my favorite movies ever….i love that scene especialy kubrick is a genius if ya don;t believe me watch A cLockwork Orange it’s a wonderful example of Kubricks genius

By: susan

susan — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:51:34 +0000

I found the book very boring, The movie however blew me away. I enjoyed it very much. I watch a lot of movies this is one of my favorites…

By: Guinnevere

Guinnevere — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:35:12 +0000

To be honest, I loved the sequence with the twin ghost children, and the one with the ghostly bartender, but otherwise hated the movie passionately. I had read the book, and expected the film to be as brilliant as the film version of “The Haunting of Hill House.” What a shocking disappointment! Kubrick admitted in an interview that he had no idea of how to film the moving topiary animals, so he changed them into a maze, which had no relevance at all to the basic story. (He could merely have suggested the movement of the topiary animals, and it would have been quite effective.)

Kubrick also clearly had no idea of what the story was about at heart: the insidious, creeping horror of alcoholism, and how it destroys the lives of whole families. So he turned it into a schlock-horror film that a first-year film student could have done better.

It would also have been nice if he had kept a firm hand on Jack Nicholson’s grossly over-the-top, scenery-chewing performance that everyone else in the world seems to love… except me. I rolled my eyes so much during that film, they were sore by end of it.

I have respect for many of his films, but where this one sought to terrify, it was merely exasperating. It only horrified me in its ineptitude and bad taste. I truly expected better of Stanley Kubrick.