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The Shining - Film Review

Stanley Kubricks 1980 film, The Shining, is a psychological horror film where the use of production design is used to reinforce the plot of the film which focuses on the impacts of isolation on a family. The sets act as part of the story with the claustrophobic feel about them, and the never ending turns to the corridors, while the camera angles reinforce these feelings. The film has become well known as one of the best horror films, due to how well the plot and the production design go together to create an intense feeling while watching the film which makes it what the British Film Institute called, a masterpiece of modern horror (British Film Institute, 2012) in, The Shining.

Fig. 1 The Shining Poster (1980)

The production designer Roy Walker and Kubrick designed the layout of the hotel to be confusing to take away from the comfort of knowing where we are in the hotel during the film by changing the layout and changing where different corridors lead. This is similar to the labyrinth that also features in the film and is designed to represent it, with the hallways being like the labyrinth when Danny is riding down them, and when he reaches places he gets scared off in the hotel and turns around and goes back, like he does when he reaches a dead-end in the labyrinth, which can be seen in Fig.2 below. This is all done to add a slight discomfort of the unknown while watching the film, as film critic Josh Larsen says in, The Shining (1980), The Shining is above all a movie about spaces, and how few things are more frightening than not knowing which way to go. (Larsen, 2013), this is clear by how the already established layout of the hotel during the tour at the beginning of the film is changed repeatedly.

Fig. 2 The Shining (1980)

The sets are designed to the give the viewer a sense of claustrophobia while watching the film, due to the narrowing corridors and the one point perspective that has become iconic in Kubricks films. The repetitive patterns are used to give an enclosing feeling by how the corridors seem to narrow and never end, while other spaces such as where Jack is working are big empty spaces, with just him at his desk, making it discomforting as the camera approaches him, with the layout to make us feel intimidated by him as if we are looking at him from Dannys perspective, which can be seen in Fig. 3 below. Film critic Jeffrey M. Anderson states in, The Shining(1980), Kubrick's use of space and the eerie steadycam have never been put to better use (Anderson, 2005), the spaces are used to make the viewer feel different things while watching the film which it does successfully.

Fig. 3 The Shining (1980)

The set design and how they are then used within the film is what makes this film so successful at making the audience feel discomfort when Kubrick wants them too and pull them into the film. This method can be seen throughout the film in every scene by the design and how this is further used as part of the narrative.

Bibliography
Text Anderson, J. (2005) The Shining. At: http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/classic/shining.shtml (Accessed 28-11-13) British Film Institute. (2012) The Shining. At: http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/bfi-filmreleases/shining (Accessed 27-11-13) Larsen, J. (2013) The Shining (1980). At: http://www.larsenonfilm.com/the-shining (Accessed 27-11-13)

Images Fig. 1 The Shining Poster (1980) [Poster] At: http://www.geeklegacy.com/week-end-horror-the-shining1980/ (Accessed 27-11-13) Fig. 2 The Shining (1980) Directed by: Stanley Kubrick. [Film Still] United States: Warner Bros. (Accessed 27-11-13) Fig. 3 The Shining (1980) Directed by: Stanley Kubrick. [Film Still] United States: Warner Bros. (Accessed 27-11-13)