Stanley Kubrick

It is quite known today that Shelley Duvall was emotionally damaged because of her role in The Shining, especially after Dr. Phil exploited her mental illness on TV. While the finished product seemed very authentic, Shelley Duvall was often mistreated on the set. Kubrick was extremely critical of her acting. You can even see a glimpse of this in Vivian Kubrick’s documentary of the movie when Kubrick told Duvall’s co-workers to not sympathize with her. It certainly made Wendy Torrance seem like an insecure woman who was fearful of her husband, but it was at the cost of Duvall’s mental health.

With Halloween coming up, I gotta ask: what do you think Stanley Kubrick's 1980 classic The Shining actually mean? Everyone's got a different interpretation, and I wanna hear yours!

I'll go first: The Shining is a story about our true nature. Jack is naturally an alcoholic, an angry drunk, something he forgets until he comes to the hotel. We are told to embrace our true nature, but sometimes we see gifts (Danny's Shining) and see them as curses, trying to snuff them out. We embrace the wrong parts of our nature, and shun the right ones. Deep down we are all monsters, and we always have been.

And before you ask, no, I don't think the Overlook is haunted, I think it's all in Jack's head (and Wendy's, but that's likely Danny subconsciously freaking out and sending it to her as he runs through the maze).

Let me know your interpretation in the comments!