Analysis of The Shining, by Stanley Kubrick

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What is horror? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader. An example of a horror film is "The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was a well-known director, producer, writer and cinematographer. His films comprised of unique, qualitative scenes that are still memorable but one iconic film in his collection of work is The Shining. Many would disagree and say that The Shining was not his best work and he could have done better yet, there are still those who would say otherwise. This film was not meant to be a “scary pop-up” terror film but instead, it turned into a spectacular psychological, horor film in which Kubrick deeply thought about each scene and every line.

Stanley Kubrick was born July 26, 1928 in Bronx, New York. As a young boy, he enjoyed photography which sparked his love for filming. His father, Dr. Kubrick, had inspired young Kubrick to use his Graflex Camera to take pictures of anything he desired to keep memories of. This was later transformed as young Kubrick’s hobby. Growing up into his teenage years, Kubrick had gone to the movie theater almost more than attending high school. He would watch movies over and over and still be amused by the film even if it was not a good film. With this critical view of the films he was watching, he began to think that he could make a better film compared to what he was watching. Eventually, with the compassion for photography the Kubrick had, he had sold one of his pictures to Look magazine. Look magazine hired him as a freelance photographer and with the money he saved up, Kubrick...

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Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf. Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. Warner Home Video, 1980. DVD.

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