We're back in the Overlook for part two of our deep dive on The Shining (1980). We dig into the Steadicam innovation that changed horror forever, the blood elevator's year of prep work, and Wendy Carlos's groundbreaking score. Then we make the case for Wendy Torrance, unpack Jack's alcoholism through a recovery lens, and ask the question the film never answers - did the hotel make him a monster, or just find one?
Citations
Balick, Aaron. “The Psychology of The Shining: The terror of family dysfunction.” Depth Psychology in the Digital Age. 31 October 2012. Updated 15 April 2025. https://www.aaronbalick.com/post/the-psychology-of-the-shining-the-terror-family-disfunction.
Blakemore, Bill. “The Family of Man.” The San Francisco Chronicle Syndicate. 29 July 1987. http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0052.html.
Ciment, Michel. “Kubrick on The Shining.” http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/interview.ts.html.
Darren. “Is The Shining About Native Americans?” The M0vie Blog. 1 December 2009. https://them0vieblog.com/2009/12/01/is-the-shining-about-native-americans/.
Eggert, Brian. “The Shining (1980).” Deep Focus Review. 27 October 2019. https://www.deepfocusreview.com/definitives/the-shining/.
Elizabeth, Jasmine. “The Shining: The Horror of a Family in Disrepair.” Duck Eyes. 23 February 2020. https://duck-eyes.com/film-journal/the-shining-the-horror-of-a-family-in-disrepair.
Kieckhefer, Daniel R. “The Shining.” The Cinematograph. 2025. https://www.the-cinematograph.com/movies/the-shining/.
McBride, Kameron. “Dealing With Our Bloody Past: Repression vs. Recognition of American History in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.” Digital Literature Review, vol. 1 (2014). Ball State University. https://openjournals.bsu.edu/dlr/article/download/2587/1519/4169.
Nair, Shreejit & Rae Torres. “‘The Shining’ Ending Explained - What's Jack Doing in That Photo?” Collider. 13 August 2024. https://collider.com/the-shining-ending-explained/.
Trzcinski, Matthew. “Is ‘The Shining’ Really About Native American History?” Showbiz CheatSheet. 2 December 2019. https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/is-the-shining-really-about-native-american-history.html/.
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:00 Vibe Check: Cinematography
00:20:26 Vibe Check: SFX
00:31:35 Vibe Check: Music & Sound Design
00:41:27 Story Time: Characters
01:10:11 Story Time: Murder/Mayhem
01:23:19 Story Time: Themes
01:38:13 Open Mic
01:50:43 Losing Light
