The Shining

The Shining

            Throughout The Shining, directed by the renowned Stanley Kubrick, I held eccentric feelings of fear created by the manipulation of cinematographic techniques which purged out a variety of meanings within this horror film with a psychological sub-genre. Kubrick’s alleged Obsessive-compulsive disorder supports the sheer perfection inside of each shot which enabled me to explore their meanings and illustrations.

            Opening with the non-diegetic sound of a slow brass instrument instantaneously creates an ominous atmosphere which suggests that there is a lingering presence to foreshadow the darker events which are soon to surface. Also, this sound, alongside other sharp unnatural noises for me portrays a mechanical feeling to perhaps reflect the robotic nature of both Jack and our jagged corporate world, a prominent theme within this film. The non-diegetic soundtrack, used within a variety of Kubrick’s films, such as within the opening of A Clockwork Orange, however, contrasts against the camerawork inside of the film’s first three minutes.

Pairing a bird’s eye view angle with a crane shot and few cuts throughout this clip created a slow editing pace as I was omnisciently focusing upon the driving car amongst this natural scenery. After the third cut, for example, the camera swoops closer to the central characters’ car with an almost hand-held effect to perhaps symbolise that I and the audience have been introduced as birds approaching our prey who are these characters, whilst this high angle makes them appear more vulnerable, which is a typical convention of a horror film in order to represent the victim’s weakness and helplessness. Furthermore, this opening reflects a linear narrative film structure due to my exposure to a somewhat normal setting and event which is also used within a variety of horror films, such as in Hitchcock’s Psycho, whereby a world of order is presented and the equilibrium gradually becomes more chaotic and disturbed through the climax and therefore disequilibrium to highlight a hectic society.

This is additionally represented by another crane shot after the camera cross-fades when I first see the car. Within this, the high key lighting is obscured by the menacing shadows of trees, foreboding the evil and darkness that creep into this once regular family’s lives. For me, these stretching shadows not only mirror an image of limbs to reflect a sinister and morbid tone, but could also portray imagery of knives which may signify later events of blood and death. The sharpness of each metallic non-diegetic sound also reflects this, alongside an eerie breathing sound to make me feel tenser as both built up in dynamics and pace.

Whilst this cinematography continues, several elements of mise-en-scene are representative of the film’s psychological horror genre. For instance, the vast and endless amount of nature in comparison to the small and solitary car creates the idea that they are stranded within an isolated environment, a setting used within a variety of horror films, as the snow-capped mountains reinforce a feeling of entrapment of both the characters and I, where we can’t escape this world of darkness. Furthermore, the use of a yellow car is symbolic of both sickness and madness, highlighting one of the film’s predominant themes as I watched Jack’s normality and ordered life twisting, reflected by the constant turns of the road ahead of this family and I.

A variety of these techniques mirror those utilized within the film’s climactic point, where I became stricken with rigidity as Jack hunted and chased his son. For instance, a point of view shot is again enhanced from the antagonist’s perspective, a method used within countless horror films, such as Mamoulian’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, when Jekyll becomes Hyde and the audience is subjected to his disturbed reaction after drinking his poison. This again reflects the predator imagery, suggesting that Jack has become depersonalised and more animalistic by the supernatural events and is thirsty for blood.

Furthermore, these dark themes are enhanced by the low key lighting to create a more vulnerable fear within me, yet the blinding lights situated within the maze conjure a ghostly atmosphere to portray this dehumanisation and a coldness that foreshadows death. Through the mise-en scene, by setting the film’s climax within a maze again reincarnates these feelings of entrapment, isolation, and Danny’s lost father. The use of parallel editing to show the falling distance between Jack and his son likewise creates this solid contrast between good against evil, juxtaposing with how their domestic love is becoming more separated as they become closer. As the high pitched non-diegetic music increases in pace to almost personify this skittering wave of nauseous fear, the camera tracks through the twists and turns of the maze which made me feel a sense of disorientation, which both mirrored Danny’s feelings shown by his facial expressions, and Jack’s distorted parental figure as his identity had become split by madness.

These warped movements and meanings, however, contrast against the perfect proxemics within each shot created by Kubrick, perhaps stemming from his obsessive-compulsive disorder. For example, the way in which the mise-en scene illustrates snow connotes purity and innocence, which contrasts against the horrific nature of the narrative and murderous theme, yet also created a cold feeling within me as though I was within the scene’s chaos and suspense. These two conflicting images of warmth and ice could reinforce these strong juxtaposing faces of Jack which twist as the film progresses, and the barrier between reality and the surrealistic supernatural. Additionally, both the rule of thirds and one-point perspective are employed throughout the entirety of this scene which also highlights Kubrick’s overpowering use of contrast. When Danny is walking backwards through his footsteps these techniques are used; Kubrick enhances this method both within The Shining and many of his other films, like Barry Lyndon and 2001: A Space Odyssey, to add an ironic element to his films as the perfection and precision to each zooming or stilted shot contrasts against the dark narrative, suggesting that he may be ridiculing society in a satirical light, for example the futility of patriotism within this iconic film.