Stanley Kubrick’s take on The Shining has made way for different interpretations, including one that gives a trippy twist to the Torrance family, the hotel, and the book Jack (Jack Nicholson) was working on. In 1980, Kubrick brought Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining to life, though with many changes that didn’t please King. Still, The Shining is now considered one of the best horror movies of all time, and its many ambiguities, inconsistencies, mysteries, and more have made way for countless theories about what’s truly going on with the characters.
The Shining follows Jack Torrance, a writer who accepts a job as winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Jack brings his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd) with him, but they become trapped in the hotel after a blizzard. Once there, the supernatural forces at the hotel start messing with Jack’s mind, while also bringing out Danny’s “shine”. The ending of The Shining and other details have made way for a variety of theories, and one gives the movie a trippy twist through Jack’s book.
The Shining Theory Suggests Most Of The Events Take Place In Jack’s Novel
The Shining Theory Is All About A Story Within A Story
Jack is a writer struggling with writer’s block, so he sees his new job at the hotel as an opportunity to overcome the block and write a new book. Throughout The Shining, Jack is shown in front of his typewriter, doing his best to work on his new book, but without much luck. Some of The Shining’s key moments have Jack and his typewriter at the front and center, such as one scene where the background changes between cuts and the scene where Wendy takes a look at what Jack has been writing, only to find countless repetitions of “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.
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Jack and his book are the subject of a Reddit theory that suggests most of the events in The Shining actually take place in Jack’s novel. The author explains Jack found the inspiration he needed in the Overlook Hotel after listening to Ullman’s stories about the disturbing past of the hotel. This explains the inconsistencies in the Grady characters (Charles and Delbert), with the real story being that of Charles and Delbert’s being a creation of Jack for his book.
The theory also explains the confusing and nonsensical architecture of the hotel, as Jack didn’t have a clear idea of the structure of the hotel. The disappearing and moving objects mentioned above in certain scenes can also be explained through this theory, as these are inconsistencies in Jack’s book and imagination. A key scene that supports this theory is the one where Wendy visits Jack while he’s working, the same scene where the objects behind him keep moving.
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Jack has no paper on the typewriter when Wendy arrives and rips one part, but when Wendy turns around to leave, Jack is calm and there’s a paper on the typewriter. Jack lashing out at Wendy, then, happens in Jack’s book, and him being calm again and going back to writing is the real Jack. In short, the Jack seen in front of his typewriter is the real one, while the Jack who goes crazy, attacks his family, and ends up freezing to death in the maze is the Jack from the novel.
The Shining Theory Points To The Overlook Hotel Not Being Haunted At All
The Overlook Hotel Is Suddenly Very Boring
If most (and the best) scenes in The Shining happened in Jack’s book, that would mean that the Overlook Hotel wasn’t haunted at all. The Overlook Hotel definitely saw various tragedies before the Torrances’ arrival and the tragedy of the Grady family was real, as told by Ullman, but the other Grady, along with the ghostly bartender, the party attendees, the woman in room 237, and the ghosts of the Grady twins weren’t real. By the logic of the theory, Danny definitely had the “shine”, so it’s possible that Jack also used it as inspiration for his novel.
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This would mean that there were no evil forces in the Overlook Hotel, Danny’s “shine” had nothing to do with the strange occurrences around him and his family, and the hotel had no evil influence on Jack, except inspiring his new book. Luckily, this would also mean that Jack never tried to kill his family, but it also takes away everything that made the Overlook Hotel so mysterious and horrifying.
How This Shining Theory Changes Kubrick’s Movie (For Better & Worse)
The Shining Theory Has Some Strengths & Weaknesses
This The Shining theory both benefits and hurts Kubrick’s movie. The Shining being a two-level movie with a story within a story makes it a lot more complex and interesting, and invites more rewatches to understand which scenes really happened and which were things written by Jack. The theory could also suggest a hopeful ending for Jack, as he could have finally addressed his trauma and issues through his book, improving his life from then on.
On the other hand, and as explained above, this makes the Hotel Overlook a normal hotel with a dark history, but with no supernatural occurrences. This takes away the essence of The Shining, and makes the differences with King’s novel even bigger and more controversial. Ultimately, whether this The Shining theory is true or not will depend on the interpretation and experience of every viewer.
Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall tells the story of the Torrance family, who move to the isolated Overlook Hotel so that father Jack Torrance can act as its winter caretaker. Stuck at the hotel due to the winter storms, the malevolent supernatural forces inhabiting the building slowly begin to drive Jack insane, causing his wife and psychically gifted son to be caught up in a fight for their lives when Jack is pushed over the edge.
- Release Date
- June 13, 1980
- Runtime
- 146 minutes
