Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Shining: Psychological Horror?

Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that relies on character's fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music, and emotional instability to build tenstion and further the plot. It creates discomfort in the viewer by exposing common or universal psychological vulnerabilities and fears, most notably the shadowy parts of the human psyche which most people repress or deny.  Explain how The Shining qualifies as a psychological horror by choosing specific events or actions that manipulate the audience's sense of fear.  What discomfort is created in the audience by what you perceive to be universal psychological vulnerabilities?

15 comments:

  1. Throughout the entire film The Shining, suspense is being built in the masses with the hypnotizing score filled with percussions, strings, and heartbeats. Our eyes are drawn towards the bright reds of the scenes and the dramatic elements of what really makes a horror film: the characters. Jack, the man of the family who suffers from alcoholism, Wendy the vulnerable wife, and Danny the physic and intelligent child, who is of course adorable.

    The audiences sense of fear really kicks in to this psychological horror in one solitary scene: the blood scene. I think by that statement, everyone who's seen The Shining can picture it immediately. When the blood is gushing from the elevator doors, the heavy violin music in the back, the faint sound of a heartbeat, the furniture rising in the blood pools, finally covering the entire screen with blood, is the moment where the audience is really sucked into the horror of the film. Seeing small clips of the scene makes it less scary, but when watched in the trailer the moment because so drawn out that it leaves the audience with an indelible mark of terror.

    Here's the trailer for The Shining: http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=nLpcmEVu9aE&ob=av5n&feature=mv_sr

    Just watch it. Be amazed.

    There is a shot of Jack in one of scenes where he is staring outside the window with this high-pitched shrieking sound in the background, his eyes are almost rolled in the back of his head, and his hair is crazy. I think this is a shot that makes the audience notice that this character is not mentally there. We really see Jack in a daze of delusion. It's kind of horrific to see, because it's relatable.

    I think the entire movie isn't what I would call "scary." I see scary as being a movie full of werewolves, vampires, ghosts jumping out from the shadows, and a creepy one-eyed monster. This movie is a definite psychological kind of scary, because the entire time I'm watching it I'm thinking "wow, this could happen to me." The characters are being effected by their own isolation; their "cabin fever." That's what makes it so scary to me, because their being haunted by the demons they created. I think that is where the discomfort is created.

    Also, I think audiences in general have an attachment to kids and their innocence in films. Especially since Danny was so adorably cast, it makes the audience that much more attracted to him. When people see a child being chases or in danger, it automatically makes them feel sympathy for them. Especially when they are being chased by their father with a bloody axe through a maze. I think watching that entire chase/maze scene fills the audience with fear and suspense like, "Oh no! Not Danny!"

    Overall, people are vulnerable to death. No one wants to die, especially in a bloody murder by their family. No one wants to see the end, and this entire film that is the overwhelming danger: death, or being murdered. That creates the fear. Along with the ambiance of the lightning, the dramatic music, and the haunted elements of The Overlook hotel, The Shining is surely a movie that will scare and manipulate fear.

    I recommend it.

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    1. Sophie,
      I found the same "start" of the horror to be the same moment that you said. Danny's shining of the blood and the two girls tells the audience that this film is not going to be a happy one (even though one should know what they are watching before they realize this). I definitely disagree on the scary factor! I was scared quite frequently throughout the film watching it for the first time. I see real situations as more scary than the monsters, vampires etc., but I respect your opinion.
      The sound was a huge contributor to the fear and suspense! Without it, some of the otherwise normal scenes wouldn't have been suspenseful (such as Dick on the airplane).
      Death of course is always a cause of fear. It's our instinct to fear it!
      I would recommend this film as well, to people who want to be on the edge of their seat and have their heart jump out of their chest when the "Tuesday" screen appears!

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    2. Sophie,

      I want to stop for a second and just talk about your statement of the color red. That played such a huge role in the film. In just thirty seconds I can count thirty different red items. It is crazy. From square one, the symbolism sets the tone for the movie and lets you know if you didn't already that its going to be gruesome. The scene of blood flooding from the elevator just shows how awful the situation in the hotel will become.
      I think to your effect of "monsters" being scary, there were definitely some monster-like parts of the movie. The woman in the tub for instance. That was horrifying and grotesque. I think about it and I still feel sick to my stomach. There was also Jack's degradation into that "werewolf" state if you want to think like that. But like Ryan, I find real situations much more terrifying. Vampires just amuse me. Especially in the "Twilight" age.
      Sound also was a huge component. It made black signs seem like a monster in fact. They said "Tuesday" yet we jumped! That just proves how powerful music can be in a horror film. It can lead to an entirely different effect.

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    3. Sophie-
      I find it funny that you chose to talk about the blood scene in your blog! When I was talking to my mom and sister (both who have seen the movie) about watching The Shining in class, my sister mentioned how scary she thought “the part where all the blood rushes out of the elevator” was. Apparently it was worth however many thousand gallons it took, as it really sticks with the audience. Another scene my mom brought up was when Danny encounters the dead twin girls. I guess it goes to show just how much of an impact this movie makes on its audience.
      Also, thanks for sharing the trailer!

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    4. Sophie's post screams attention. Its as if she writes to get attention even if the premise of the prompt is only rubbed upon. I do agree with the scene regarding the blood. It was almost subliminal message to reach the mind about murder. I think the blog was a little off prompt, and she tries to deceive the reader by adding distracting adjectives like "adorable". Yes Danny may have been adorable, but the repetition is unnecessary. I do agree upon the fact that the innocence of a child is paramount to the fear that a man, the father, tries to claim his life through his bloodlust.

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  2. The Shining is my first experience when it comes to horror film. A horror film’s goal is to create fear and suspense in the audience. The Shining certainly did that for me at certain moments (I’m a baby when it comes to movies). After watching the film again just yesterday, I was amazed at how much more detail I gathered upon when I wasn’t on the edge of my seat half of the time!

    The psychological horror in The Shining is very striking, as this psychological collapse could happen to anyone, even if not in the same exact manner. For me, the psych horror began when Danny imagined the huge wave of blood and the two girls that were murdered ten years. That set the stage for what could happen to him and his mother. Jack Torrance starts as a family man, but throughout the film breaks down to the point of complete insanity. The first piece of evidence of his breakdown is when he, as Sophie mentioned, is staring out of the window at the snow coming down, and has the smile of evil on his face. Before Jack can help himself, he is entering the downward spiral feared by Mr. Ullman. I found it interesting that Jack’s personal hygiene declined along with his psychological wellness. His beard grew out, his hair became greasy, and his clothes dirty.

    Another fact that is just disturbing to most people is a man threatening to hurt not only his wife, but his child as well. In recent years, a man abusing his family has occurred all too often. Therefore, the audience is able to see such a horrific cycle play itself out knowing that this DOES happen in real life, not just on the screen. The film could raise awareness to notice the signs of eminent psychological collapse that leads to physical abuse.

    Jack hallucinating to the point of seeing people who do not physically exist not just for a few seconds, but for many minutes is alarming. Lloyd the bartender, and Delbert Grady are examples of Jack’s inner being. They reiterate what he is thinking (Delbert urging him to “fix” his wife and son”, and Lloyd asking him if he hurt Danny). Hallucinations happen to the worst psychological cases, creating fear in the audience hoping they are never the victims of such a scary scenario.

    The thought of being trapped with a killer with the threat of death following your every move is a huge promoter of fear. I believe the crisis of the film is when Wendy discovers the SnowCat is broken; leaving her and Danny with no way of escape from her madman of a husband that has intentions of killing them. The fear and suspense also rise when weapons become involved. Jack carrying an axe and Wendy carrying a knife create a sense that at least one of the characters is not going to make it out of this situation alive.

    The Shining has many “promoters” of psychological fear, a fear that the majority of actions in this film are RELATABLE. This movie isn’t necessarily “stuck” on the screen, it can be pulled out by other people that “crack” psychologically, and have the potential to commit the same acts. This is what is scary to audience members about The Shining…

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    1. Ryan,

      I must first of all remind you that this was not your first thriller. Remember Contagion? Yeah, that freaked us all out pretty hardcore. Just like this movie, the thought of being in that situation is terrifying. It only hikes up the suspense to think that it could happen to you. I recall us all being germaphobes for the next few days similar to how we've all been screaming "Redrum" with this movie. I think one of the things about thrillers that you can understand as well as I can is that they stick with you (or the parts that you're awake for). They just grip onto you and make you think. Like you said about people cracking, the movies can also spark such a behavior.
      I completely agree that its relatable. It is the things that make them similar to real life that make them the most terrifying. The connections you form with the characters doesn't help. The Shining may be one of the greatest thrillers of its time.

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  3. Ryan,

    I loved what you said about Lloyd the bartender and Delbert Grady being "examples of Jack's inner being." I think that idea can play into the same concept of mirrors being used as symbolism in the film. I think that they, like you said, "reiterate what he is thinking." I even noticed when Jack was talking to Delbert in the red bathroom scene that he was not looking directly at Grady, but it seemed as though he was looking over his shoulder. This could be the idea that Jack wasn't looking at Grady at all, but rather his own reflection.

    I think you really put the emphasis on that this film is so relatable! I mean, things like this can happen to everyday people in everyday life. It's horrific.

    Nice blog Ryan!

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  4. Horror and Thriller films are actually one of my favorite types of movies. As I said in class, I think we all need to escape from our skins once and a while and just be genuinely scared of something. Movies that do this are amazing and can generally be classified as psychological movies. We did discuss the idea of a psychological horror or thriller film in class. I think that The Shining is actually one of the most perfect examples of such films. It fits the criteria of focusing on specific areas the instill fear in people. I think we even mentioned the one area I think is most prevalent in class.

    What I find to be the best focus of the psychological thriller is the ability to empathize with the fear of losing loved ones and it being one's own fault. When people are in accidents or just simply die, it is not uncommon for their loved ones to wonder if they could have done something to save them. Especially in incidences where one or two people survive but everyone else dies, people also wonder if it was their fault. It is in natural instincts to worry over loved ones. It becomes even more horrifying when it is one's fault.

    The movie The Shining takes hold of this fear and remorse. People find it hard to wrap their heads around the idea of it being possible to kill loved ones. It is such an awful thought that it can make even the bravest sick. I could never consider killing my family and just watching that movie made me wonder if there could ever be an instance where I could. Could something so horrible or shocking occur that I would fall to an inhumane level? This thought is what makes the movie truly terrifying. It was not the blood, or the music, or the dramatic chase scenes. It was the thought that something could degrade a man so far that he would stoop to killing his own loved ones.

    This was also assisted by the acting in the film. The actors were not overly attractive to an unrealistic standpoint. They seemed like normal people - granted, with the addition of one horrible actor - with a horrible situation occuring in their normal lives. They had a simplicity to them and a naivety. This made it easier to empathize with them but also to find it more shocking. If this could happen to other ordinary people, couldn't it happen to me? It made it so realistic. Like we discussed, Kubrick did not find it necessary to make the movie more terrifying than it already was b editing shots. It was already terrifying enough on its own.

    Like I said before, thrillers definitely classify as one of my favorite genre's and this movie definitely fit the bill. It is a very easy assignment to write about and is also enjoy. I think this may have been one of the most enjoyable movies we have seen in class, although they were all good. This was a movie that was easy to analyze all aspects of as well. I'm glad I got the experience.

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    1. Alex's post was interesting due to the fact that she centers it around remorse of loved one's, lust for kill, and murder of a loved one. It is horrible to actually plot or even humor thoughts of murder of loved ones, especially such a manner that is so gruesome. Her ploy about how the mind can be manipulated when pressed in a certain environment to commit an act of murder of a loved one. She's an excellent writer.

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  5. Alex
    I honestly did forget about Contagion! That movie creates a similar message that a worldwide epidemic could strike any day very easily. The "could this happen to me" factor is the biggest fear that entered my mind when viewing this film. One will think at first, no never!, but it's hard to say that with confidence until one has been in a similar situation as Jack Torrance. The normalcy that was contained in the characters made it all the more frightening. Even though the movie was scary, I was very excited to watch it the next day. It was great!

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  6. Alex,

    I loved what you said about us as people being unable to imagine something as sickening as being killed by loved ones. It's one thing to be killed by a complete stranger or in an accident, it's another to be killed by someone you thought loved you and would never do anything to hurt you. That's where this movie takes the punch. I think when you strip down a movie to the core of its subject matter, like when you said that the movie is not about "the blood, or the music, or the dramatic chase scenes," that is when we realize the true beauty of film. It's the nitty-gritty subjects that really make the difference and impact in films. I think that is definitely a point to be made in The Shining.
    I agree that this experience to see this film was so worthwhile. It actually made me think about a future career in film, or at least studying it further. Amazing.

    Nice blog!

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  7. Being a fan of horror films, I have to say that The Shining was not, in my opinion, a scary movie. To be brutally honest, I found many of the attempts at frightening the audience to be quite laughable. For example, the scene in which Wendy travels through the “haunted” Overlook and encounters skeletons and a man dressed in a dog-bear suit. The special effects of today's films are so much more sophisticated that we as an audience are desensitized to these mundane, “cheap tricks”. I chuckled at many different times during the movie- especially when Wendy finds Jack's papers- but everyone is scared by different things. I would probably be screaming at something no one else finds frightening.

    While I was not scared by The Shining in the slightest, I did find it to be very suspenseful. One of the main contributing factors to the movie's building tension was the music and sound effects. The reoccurring sound of the heartbeat, as well as the suspenseful orchestral/violin music were two of the most memorable examples of this for me. Music truly can set the mood depending on its style, and the right type can make anything suspenseful. Recall how we all jumped when it said “Tuesday” if you need evidence! Listen to this song on YouTube and I'm sure you'll be scared by my blog: http://youtu.be/Bnok-rJOayo

    One of the psychological ways The Shining manipulates the audience is by having a child as one of the main victims. We view children as vulnerable, and therefore it is more frightening when we see innocent, cute little Danny in peril. Especially since the culprit is a strong, fully-grown man like Jack who easily outmatches Danny in terms of physical and mental capabilities. The fear for a child's safety is a universal feeling that most people have, hence the horror film rule that everything is scarier when kids are involved.

    Another ploy that most horror films I've seen seem to use is giving the audience a false sense of comfort and then suddenly wrenching it away. This way, the movie is more likely to prey on the audience's fears. At the beginning of The Shining, we see a seemingly normal husband, wife, and young boy living a normal life. As the story begins to unravel and the tension builds, occurrences happen and the ideal world they had quickly deteriorates. I think this is one of the most frightening concepts of any horror story. A specific instance in which this happens is when Jack encounters the naked woman in Room 237. When he is kissing her- a time when people are at there most vulnerable- she is revealed to be the ghost of a disgusting, decaying old woman. How jarring that scene was! Lulling the audience into a false sense of security was used effectively throughout The Shining to make it a successful suspense story.

    Whether or not you were scared by The Shining, it successfully employs many effective concepts that prey on the human mind that make it suspenseful. This is why I classify The Shining as a great Psychological Thriller, but not a very good horror film. Perhaps it was back in the era it was made. Either way, The Shining uses techniques like music, sound effects, exploitation of vulnerability, and false sense of security to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

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  8. The "Shining" during its era would have been quite the frightening film for most viewers. It had blood, gore, insanity, isolation, and even a creepy finger named Tony. In today's cinematic world, the film wouldn't even be considered a horror film. Today's horror agenda requires extensive violence and gore. The fear needs to stem from the probability of events unfolding. The "Shining", however does retain its title by pinning the supernatural with the psychological. This film is terrifying by the fact that madness can occur in anyone given the right situation.
    The fear from the film stemmed from the rapturing and nurturing. The film would provide a comforting scene that was only to be taking by a gruesome act. The scene with the twin sisters on tricycles seems rather nurturing, its two young girls seems safe enough, but Kubrick strips the nurture by adding the twisted and eerie forces. Another example is how Jack is Wendy's wife and Danny's father, he is to love them and yet he is the one who is trying to harm them. The film manipulates the sense of fear by the isolation of the hotel. There is no way out. The audience sees that Jack diabolically disabled the snowcap and radio. Then the weather leaves them snowbound. Being trapped with a man who loses his mind and wants to brutally rip you apart with an ax defines fear.
    The psychological aspects are amazing. I find the isolation and the insanity haunting. I've felt the effects of being secluded and how they can change how you act and perceive the world. It's truly horrifying. Actually it is one of my biggest fears. Being isolated like that makes you do things you normally don't do, or adopt conventions that are not like what society deems as normal.
    The other vulnerability is that Jack is the father. He is supposed to love and provide for his family. Instead, he's chasing them through the halls of an enormous hotel trying to take their lives.
    The Shining is terrifying in many different ways. Some people simply fear death and murder. Others more complex, fear the psychological manifestations of seclusion. Others it might be gore or eerie and creepy details. The Shining captivates all fears of the audience through those aspects.

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