The enigma of ‘The Shining’: A deep dive into Kubrick’s masterpiece

Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” occupies a unique place in the pantheon of horror films. It’s a movie that, despite its reputation, may not be the most terrifying but is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating. For me, the most captivating horror film that genuinely scares is “Psycho.” “The Shining,” however, is a different beast altogether. I first saw it on its opening night, May 23, 1980, and have revisited it numerous times since. Each viewing deepens its mysteries and mood, making it a uniquely seductive piece of cinema. Yet, from that very first viewing, I’ve always grappled with a particular issue.

A metaphysical puzzle

In “The Shining,” we are presented with an enormous metaphysical puzzle from the dark side. It’s a ghost story where the specters of the Overlook Hotel weave in and out of the madness of Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson. Jack, an aspiring novelist, is unraveled by a combination of writer’s block, rage, alcohol, and the Overlook’s ghosts, particularly the caretaker who tries to influence him. Jack essentially becomes the caretaker, which is why he appears in that old photograph from the 1920s at the film’s end. The movie explores the timelessness of murder, creating a creepy and elusive atmosphere.

The brutality of Jack Torrance

When Jack Torrance’s id is unleashed, what we witness is not elusive but brutally obvious. It’s one of the most head-on depictions of homicidal violence in cinema: Jack Nicholson, in full loony-tunes mode, swinging his ax like a madman as he attempts to kill his wife and young son. Released during the height of the slasher-film era, “The Shining” stands apart. While I’m not a huge fan of the “Halloween” or “Friday the 13th” genres, I find some of those films scarier than “The Shining.” Nicholson wielding that ax like a deranged lumberjack lacks mystery. The film is brilliantly crafted around the edges but, to me, culminates in a climax of evil banality.

The making of ‘The Shining’

This brings us to “Shine On,” a 25-minute documentary that offers a rare glimpse into the making of “The Shining.” Unlike Rodney Ascher’s head-spinning “Room 237,” “Shine On” focuses on the physical production of the film. Directed by Paul King and narrated by Michael Sheen, it delves into the sets of “The Shining,” some of which still exist in the form of industrial rooms doubling as movie locations. “Shine On” is a film about the shell of “The Shining,” and that shell is perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the movie.

The illusion of the Overlook Hotel

The documentary reveals that “The Shining” was shot almost entirely at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England. This revelation was a shock to my subconscious, which had always believed the Overlook was a real place, modeled after the Stanley Hotel in the Rocky Mountains. Kubrick, who hadn’t left England in decades, specialized in creating elaborate sets that became worlds of their own. The Overlook’s psychedelic maze carpets, creamy walls, and cavernous lobby were too solid and imposing to be mere sets. Yet, Kubrick built it all.

“The Shining” probably makes more dramatic use of ceilings than any film since “Citizen Kane.” The vastness of the Overlook is Kubrick’s great sleight-of-hand trick. With only three characters living there for most of the movie, the size of the place suggests it would be insane to build such a large set for this ghost tale. Kubrick’s obsessive overscaling becomes another link in the chain of the film’s madness.

The sets of ‘The Shining’

As “Shine On” explains, the sets occupied the entirety of Elstree Studios, every soundstage, or half a dozen airplane hangars’ worth of space. Kubrick took just under a year to shoot “The Shining,” requiring a lot of real estate. Even then, there wasn’t enough space. Most of the original sets are gone, but several places at Elstree, like the Overlook’s gigantic kitchen and its larder, were real locations filled with real kitchen equipment and food products. The heart of “Shine On” features three veterans of the “Shining” shoot — executive producer Jan Harlan, art director Leslie Tomkins, and Kubrick’s eldest daughter, Katharina Kubrick — strolling through that former kitchen, matching pieces of it with the film. This has the eerie effect of making everything in “The Shining” seem like a ghost.

Kubrick’s genius on display

One astonishing piece of footage shows Kubrick lying on his back against the larder door, holding a lens and framing Nicholson’s face from the ground up. He says, “Well, that’s not bad,” and you realize that one of the most iconic film images of the last half-century was improvised by Kubrick on the spot. We also see Shelley Duvall’s meltdown in the kitchen as it was being filmed, a rare piece of footage since it’s the actual take used in the film. “Shine On” provides evidence and testimony that the atmosphere on the set of “The Shining” was generally convivial, though Duvall, at moments, seemed close to a nervous breakdown.

The legacy of ‘The Shining’

“Shine On,” short as it is, joins other documentaries about Kubrick, such as “Kubrick by Kubrick,” “Stanley Kubrick’s Boxes,” and the essential “Filmworker,” as a small piece of the puzzle of who Kubrick was and how he made his films. More than perhaps any other major film artist, he built his films like massive ships in a bottle. “The Shining” was the most elaborately built of all. It’s the story of a haunted house, but the way Kubrick made it, the film itself is the haunted house. The spectacular scale and concreteness of the sets suggest that the mystery concealed here is as grand as God. You can’t see it, but it’s everywhere. That may be the coolest idea ever implanted in a horror film. If it were as scary as it was cool, “The Shining” would be a masterpiece instead of the ultimate elevated horror curio.

For those who wish to delve deeper into the world of “The Shining,” you can watch the trailer and explore more about this enigmatic film.