Examples of how meticulous Stanley Kubrick was in altering the novel.

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Here’s a closer look at how meticulous Stanley Kubrick is as he inverts the entire scene with Danny and the pediatrician. It’s from chapter 17 “The Doctor’s Office” in Stephen King’s novel and it’s easy to spot how even the smallest details are reversed.

• 1st off, in the novel Danny blacks out in their bathroom in The Overlook, Stanley Kubrick reverses this and now it’s the bathroom at their apartment in Boulder before they get to The Overlook.

• Tony tells Danny to lock himself in the bathroom. In the movie he doesn’t.

• Danny’s pediatrician has a name, Doctor Bill Edmonds where in the movie this is reversed and we have an unnamed female Doctor.

• The three have to go down to Sidewinder to see Doctor Edmonds in his office. In the movie this is reversed and the Doctor makes a house call.

• Danny is “Stripped to his underpants, lying on the examination table”. In the movie Danny wears his “Bugs Bunny, what’s up Doc” sweatshirt.

• Doctor Edmonds gives Danny a thorough examination with an EEG and TB test. In the movie the Doctor does the reverse and just asks him a few simple questions.

• Doctor Edmonds seems to know something about “Shining” as he asks Danny if he smelled, "a funny smell, maybe like oranges”. In the movie the Doctor seems to know nothing about “Shining”.

• Danny tells Doctor Edmonds all about Tony. In the movie this is reversed and he will not talk about Tony to the Doctor.

• Danny “Shines” and reads Doctor Edmonds’ mind. In the movie this doesn’t happen.

• Danny even tells Doctor Edmonds about “Redrum”. In the movie this is reversed and he doesn’t tell the Doctor or anyone else about “Redrum”.

• Jack discuss Danny with Doctor Edmonds. In the movie only Wendy does.

• Jack tells Doctor Edmonds the story about how Danny, “spilled some beer on a bunch of papers I was working on”. In the movie it’s Wendy who tells the Doctor that Danny, “had scattered some of his school papers all over the room”.

• Jack, “broke his arm turning him around to spank him”. In the movie he doesn't break his arm he, “dislocated his shoulder”.

• When they talk to Doctor Edmonds they both realize that Danny is able to read their minds as they never discussed “divorce” in front of him. In the movie this never happens and neither Wendy nor Jack has the faintest clue about his ability.

• Doctor Edmonds points out to Wendy and Jack why Danny’s imaginary friend is named Tony (his middle name). In the movie the Doctor doesn’t do this.

• Wendy knows that Danny has “second sight” and he demonstrates it to Doctor Edmonds. In the movie we have a total inversion as Wendy doesn’t know much and Danny doesn’t demonstrate anything to anyone.

• Doctor Edmonds says this, "Does the phrase 'the shining' mean anything to you?" In the movie the Doctor doesn't say anything about it as only Dick Hallorann knows about or utters that word.

• In the novel Jack tells Doctor Edmonds that he hasn’t had a drink in 3 months. In the movie Wendy tells the Doctor that Jack hasn’t had a drink in 5 months.

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What did Stanly Kubrick do to Stephen King's novel.

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..........“A film is not a book.” - Roger Vadim


What important visual message was Stanley Kubrick telling us in this shot filmed in the same mirror that Wendy later sees "Redrum" in?



The fictitious town of Stovington, Vermont is mentioned in 4 of Stephen King’s novels, and it’s the only direct visual link in the movie to his novel. What’s printed on Jack’s t-shirt is meaningless to moviegoers but it’s a well-known name in Stephen King circles. What’s interesting is that for some strange reason Stanly Kubrick shows it to us backwards, “NOTGNIVOTS”. It’s reversed because we’re looking at it in a mirror. The inverted word is a metaphor because as I will show you we’re viewing Stephen King’s entire novel the same way, in a mirror; Stanley Kubrick’s special mirror, his version of “The Shining” where everything may turn out to be the opposite of what you think.

I can’t think of any other movie where reading the source novel was so enlightening. You cannot have a through understanding of Stanley Kubrick’s “Shining” without looking at what he did to Stephen King’s story. Viewers have often wondered why so much was changed from the novel but just exactly what did he do to alter the story? After reading it myself I discovered something else that’s been cleverly hidden in the same fashion as the numbers I spoke about in the last section. Something Stephen King has never said anything about even though he must have noticed right away. Stanley Kubrick, being one of the most intense perfectionists in modern cinema, didn’t just randomly alter things from the novel as many viewers think. He’s inverted them. It’s like looking at the image of Jack in the mirror, the image we see is the reverse of what’s real. I realized this with the colors of the two main vehicles in the story, and that's just the beginning. Stanley Kubrick meant for these color changes from the novel to be obvious and noticed and they’re a crucial part of the explanation of what’s happening in this movie. In the novel it’s not that easy to find the color of their VW as it is only mentioned once but just look at the VW in the opening credits of the movie; you’ll never forget that color. In the novel they’re brought to The Overlook in a red VW and have a yellow snowmobile at The Overlook. In the movie they’re brought to The Overlook in a yellow VW and have a red Sno-cat at The Overlook. They're also saved in a red Sno-cat. In the movie Jack plays with his yellow ball and in the novel Danny plays with his red ball. The colors Stephen King uses in the novel for these major props have been inverted by Stanley Kubrick.

He even does it with the sets. Except that they’re in the same hotel (or are they?) Stanley Kubrick was very meticulous in changing all the places from the novel where the scenes in the movie occur. The location of The Overlook has even been altered. In the novel the Torrance’s are in Colorado. In the movie The Overlook is in Oregon as we see early on when we’re shown The Timberline Lodge, which is located on Mount Hood in Oregon. Don’t let the Colorado State Flags all over the Colorado Lounge fool you. What we see in the beginning of the movie and when Dick Hallorann returns near the end is in the state of Oregon, not Colorado. Not one major thing happens in the movie’s Overlook in the same place it did in the novel’s Overlook (room 237 and 217 are different in each, the VW’s are different and change from red to yellow, Jack works in the basement in the novel and in the movie there is no basement, there’s no Gold Room in the novel and Jack meets Grady and Lloyd in the Colorado Lounge not The Gold Room. In the end of the novel Wendy and Jack have their knock down fight in the hallway not in the apartment. The final chase takes place inside The Overlook in the novel, not outside like the movie. Even Mr. Ullman's office was changed. In the novel Jack has his interview in the Manager's office and the story starts there, in the movie Mr. Ullman has been changed to the General Manager and the story starts in Jack's VW.). When he didn’t change the exact location, like Larry Durkin’s Conoco or the pantry, he alters something else about it. He did a perfect job and these inversions can’t be ignored. As I’ll discuss later, he’s also done this with the plot. He’s turned the novel inside out. Stanley Kubrick has taken Stephen King’s work and held it up to a mirror, and what we’re seeing in the movie is that reflection. A reflection where, in typical Kubrick fashion, just enough obvious changes are puzzlingly noticeable (The Hedge Maze and colors) and just enough is left alone (names and places), not being so obvious as to give it all away; the alterations are hidden exactly like the numbers he wants us to notice.

If you're interested in looking at more of the differences I've noticed between the novel and the movie, and how closely they relate to each other click here.

If you have preconceived ideas the reversals I’ve noted that he made to the novel are shocking. Especially when you think of how he was able to hide all this in plain site. But if you “go check it out” what I’ve writen is quite correct. It’s not only correct but it can’t be debated, altered or most importantly dismissed. It is what it is. In the novel he noted that readers would never know what “Redrum” meant without looking at the word in a mirror and he created a movie that can’t be truly explained without looking at it in a mirror. Red is yellow and yellow is red, a true reversal of the source material and, as I show throughout this article, these reversals are crucial to understanding many of the mysteries this movie holds.

Perfectionism without attention to detail can be a real train wreck but when a true perfectionist works average people look on in wonder at the world wind of intensity they create. When you think about the scope of the reversals here, the minute details that were altered and the time it must have taken, it’s a marvel to see and should be appreciated by all. Stanley Kubrick’s “Shining” may truly be The Eighth Wonder of the world of cinema. Here’s an interesting example of the inversions (and doubling) Stanley Kubrick made to the novel. The Grady girls, the most famous twins in history, never appear in the novel. This can't be ignored. Danny only meets up with the lonely invisible spirit of one single child in the playground in Chapter 34 (page 197). “... Now, in spite of the snow-dazzle, he thought he could see something there. Something moving. A hand. The waving hand of some desperately unhappy child, waving hand, pleading hand, drowning hand. (Save me O please save me. If you can't save me at least come play with me... forever, and forever, and forever.)” In the movie instead of one unseen child we now see two children who repeat the line together, twice, “Come and play with us. Come and play with us, Danny, For ever and ever, and ever.” Here’s another interesting example of the inversions. In the novel Danny sees but doesn’t understand what “Redrum” means and he mentions it to several people throughout the story. In the movie this is all reversed and Danny never sees “Redrum”. If you look closely at the movie it’s Tony that sees it, keeps repeating it, and writes it on the bathroom door. Totally reversed; and Stephen King’s fans never noticed. The chapters and page numbers I’ve included are all from Stephen King’s 307 page version.

It’s impossible to pinpoint when Stanley Kubrick decided to alter the source novel the way he did but Stephen King’s style of adding many details to his work may have been part of it’s appeal to him. He definitely had a brilliant source novel providing him a lot to work with. Here’s another great example indicating how Stanley Kubrick shows us inverted mirror images of plot points from the novel. Take a look at the entire scene with the old woman in the bathroom. In the novel it’s Danny who disobeys Jack and Dick Hallorann by walking into room 217 where he sees a dead women in the bathtub. In the movie we’re shown an entire reversal of this. If you look very closely Danny never disobeys anyone, as he doesn’t walk into the room. It’s Jack that walks in and sees not 1 but 2 women in the bathroom of room 237. In the novel Jack never sees anyone as he enters the bathroom only to find an empty tub with no woman in it. He only thinks he hears her after shutting the front door, and she rattles the doorknob. He never sees her. It’s obvious everything in this scene except the names of the characters has been inverted. Even the bathrooms are in different rooms. In the novel it’s 217, but in the movie they’re in 237. It’s so subtle and barely noticeable unless you stop and really think about it, and the entire movie is like this from beginning to end. Stanly Kubrick is beyond meticulous, even the person who pulls the shower curtain in the bathroom is reversed, in the novel it’s Danny but in the movie he never touches it, it’s the woman who does. The movie’s dialogue is also inverted. In the novel Dick Hallorann says this, “People who shine can sometimes see things that are gonna happen, and I think sometimes they can see things that did happen. But they're just like pictures in a book.” In the movie this line is very cleverly reversed because when Danny, after the beating, is in his catatonic state it’s Tony who says, “Remember what Mr. Halloran said. It's just like pictures in a book, Danny. It isn't real.” We never hear Dick Hallorann speak this line in The Overlook’s kitchen. In the novel the place where Danny and Dick Hallorann have this conversation is outside of The Overlook in Dick’s car, it's now been reversed to inside The Overlook’s kitchen while Danny has ice cream. It just goes on and on.

Tony is Danny’s subconscious mind that protects him just like any other normal person’s subconscious does. What’s unusual in the story is that Danny has the ability to “Shine” therefore his subconscious also has that special power. Stanley Kubrick made a huge inversion here as now Tony can’t be seen, in Stephen King’s novel he can. In the novel Lloyd the bartender and Grady never speak to Jack with a mirror present. In the movie this is also reversed as Jack speaks directly to both while looking directly at himself in a mirror. Stanley Kubrick’s attention to detail is unbelievable.

You still may not agree with me that the movie is an inversion of the novel but (click here) take a look at how meticulous Stanley Kubrick is as he inverts the entire scene with Danny and the pediatrician. It’s from chapter 17 “The Doctor’s Office” in the novel and it’s easy to spot how the details are reversed.



Not only did he alter Stephen King’s novel but it appears that Stanley Kubrick may have left a special message just for him in the middle of the movie. Click here for one of the more interesting hidden shots you’ll ever come across in a movie.




I feel this shot is a very special visual message “Shined” from Stanley Kubrick to the readers of Stephen King’s novel. He’s telling you what he did to ‘The Shining?’ Just like 'Redrum' only makes sense when seen in the reflection of Wendy’s mirror Stanley Kubrick created a movie that’s the same as the word “Redrum”. It will never truly make sense unless viewed in the genious director’s special mirror”. He even placed that reverse image of Stovington, as viewed by us, in the opposite side of the exact same mirror where we later see "Redrum" as the word murder. It's clear; we must also watch the movie's mirrors as something important is hidden in their reflection.

Sometimes it’s shocking to see how a screenwriter changes your favorite novel for the big screen. I remember reading “To Kill A Mockingbird” and being surprised to find out that Arthur 'Boo' Radley talked to the children. They changed this in the screenplay and I believe not having him speak throughout the story created a mystery that added much to the movie’s appeal. I can see how fans of the novel could be a little perplexed at what Stanley Kubrick did but you must admit he did an unbelievable job and Stephen King really couldn’d say much about the alterations.

Here’s a great clip of Stephen King talking about Stanley Kubrick on You Tube. Again after seeing it he described Kubrick’s film as “a big beautiful Cadillac, with no engine.” Recently a question was posed to Stephen King in USA Weekend (March 6-8 2009); I have always heard that you never really liked Stanley Kubrick’s version of “The Shining”. He answered; “My problem with ‘The Shining’ was never the adaptation. I certainly didn’t mind the idea that it was more psychological than supernatural. What I didn’t like was that I thought it was cold, and I always resented that. I’m an emotional writer. I think that’s why I’ve written so many things that people term “scary” or “horror”. I’m not that interested in what you think all the time, but I am interested in what you feel.” I feel both stories are brilliant in their own special ways.

I’ve looked into the rumors of where the actual Overlook Hotel from the novel is located? Click here.



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Does Danny actually go into room 237?

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In the movie we never see Danny in room 237 and there is a reason.

You may be wondering how I’m so sure that Danny didn’t go into room 237 because if you listened closely to the dialog Wendy tells this to Jack, “No. It's the truth, really. I swear it. Danny told me. He went up into one of the bedrooms, the door was open, and he saw this crazy woman in the bathtub. She tried to strangle him.” But you must think about this for a moment. Danny “Shines” and sees visions throughout the movie, how can we know for sure that what he tells Wendy wasn’t a vision of a woman in 237 while he was standing there at the doorway or while he was somewhere else in the hotel? After all this statement is no stretch of the movie’s reality because when Jack walks into room 237 and “Shines” the vision of what he’s seeing into both Danny’s and Dick Hallorann’s minds, they see it as real even though they’re nowhere near that room (click here). Danny is beat up by something yet there’s nothing in room 237 that can hurt anyone and the proof of this is in this statement by a person who has spent a lot of time in The Overlook, can also “Shine” and knows exactly what he's talking about;

“You're scared of Room 237, ain'tcha?”
“No I ain't.”
“Mr. Hallorann, what is in Room 237?”
“Nothing. there ain't nothing in Room 237”

Stanley Kubrick is explaining everything for us in the dialogue. Dick Hallorann’s statement is crystal clear and can’t be changed; if there was anything that could hurt Danny in room 237 he would have told him so and the fact that he doesn’t is very telling;

“Remember what Mr. Hallorann said. It's just like pictures in a book, Danny. It isn't real.”

"It isn't real" and what "isn't real" simply can't beat you up. There isn’t anything in that room but an echo of a past event that only a person who “Shines” can see. Stanley Kubrick plainly tells us this in the dialogue.

“Not things that anyone can notice, but things that people who shine can see"

Jack obviously “Shines”. That's why he can also see the woman. He’s the only person out to hurt Danny. He beats him up during his nightmare and has the ability to make his son think it was a woman in “one of the rooms”. Stanley Kubrick cleverly makes you think Danny went into room 237 but he never does and this is another reversal of Stephen King’s novel where he certainly does go into the room (click here). There’s a reason we never see Danny in 237 and anyone who really believes he does go in should go to the end of my main blog and produce a screen shot of him in room 237 to prove it.



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Examples of Doubling in Stanley Kubrick's "Shining".

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There are no important examples of doubling in Stephen King’s novel; they were added into the movie. But doubling is mentioned in the novel and I believe it's where Stanley Kubrick got the idea from (click here). I've shown some of the obvious visual examples that he include in his film ... and a not so obvious hidden example of doubling (click here) he secretly included.


The 2 Grady girls who are different ages in the novel inexplicably become twins in the movie (played by Lisa and Louise Burns).


1 single elevator in the novel becomes twin elevators in the movie.


1 single boiler in the novel becomes twin boilers in the movie.


And don't forget room 237's double door (most of the other rooms have single doors).


There are twin sides in Jack’s symmetrical vision of the hedge maze.


1 woman from the novel in the bathroom of room 217 becomes 2 women in the bathroom of room 237.



1 typewriter in the novel becomes 2 different colored typewriters in the movie and the paper Jack’s novel is typed on is 2 different colors seen in 2 different boxes on his desk.



In the novel 1 door is unlocked by a supernatural power (the storeroom). In the movie 2 doors are unlocked by a supernatural power (the storeroom and room 237).

1 vision of “Redrum” in the novel's bathroom mirror becomes 2 separate visions of “Redrum” on the bathroom door. Not only are the doors different, but "Redrum" is printed 2 different times (look closely at the M and the middle R).



1 Grady from the novel (Delbert) becomes 2 in the movie (Charles Grady and Delbert Grady).

There are also Danny's double trikes. On one the wheels are white and the other red.



This is all so obvious. Even the vision of the bloody elevators that Danny and Wendy both see is a double. Stanley Kubrick goes way beyond meticulous here and you have to observe this scene very carefully. The scuff marks on the floor in front of the elevators show us that the point of view is different both times we see the bloody elevators so even though they're seeing the same thing frame for frame each vision is totally unique to that character; they are seeing twin visions of the same thing. The scene was shot with two adjacent cameras (Wendy’s on the right and Danny’s on the left) giving each character their own unique point of view.



Doubling is shown in the dialogue. “White man's burden, Lloyd my man. White man's burden” is doubled and repeated twice and “For ever, and ever and ever” is also doubled. Jack also has 2 $20's and 2 $10's in his wallet.

Doubling is even in the music we hear. The movie starts and if you listen very closely to the theme song it begins with a 20 note sequence followed by a 13 note sequence, doubled by being played twice. The theme song is a loose adaptation of this, “Symphonie Fantastique- 5th Movement” by Berlioz, and starts at 3:20 into the song (click here).

There just happen to be 21 double letters (click here) seen in the cast member’s names in the credits. Even actors from the deleted scene are included.

42 is the double of 21 and 24 is the double of 12.

And lastly the number 11 on Danny's sweater. An important double number and mirror image of itself (12 + 12 = 24, 21 + 21 = 42, 1 & 1 = 11).




Here are some less obvious examples of what might be loosely considered doubling that Stanley Kubrick includes in “The Shining”.




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Do cast members who can “Shine” possess a supernatural ability to alter things in the movie?

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“The Shining” is one of the most enigmatic movies in history and the obvious visual images Stanley Kubrick placed in it can't be ignored. There are hundreds of continuity errors in this movie but some of them were placed there on purpose and need to be looked at closely.

There’s no question that Dick Hallorann has a special supernatural ability. He “Shines” and talks telepathically to Danny in the storeroom and as he does a red Calumet can appears out of nowhere right next to his head, only to disappear in the very next shot when he stops "Shining".



Unless you look closely you'll miss this. When Jack talks to Delbert Grady the exact same thing happens as, now, several red Calumet cans appear out of nowhere right next to his head. They also weren’t there when Wendy dragged him in. They just appear out of thin air the same way.



Think about the similarities in the two scenes;

They’re both in the same place.
They’re both talking to someone in a supernatural way.
And the same red Calumet cans appear out of nowhere on the shelves behind their heads.

The red Calumet cans that appear out of nowhere are not some common run of the mill movie mistake, they're important to the story. You can’t say Dick Hallorann is “Shining” and Jack is not when the exact same bizarre thing happens to both of them. Stanley Kubrick has hidden something in these movements.

They both have the same ability and it’s no stretch of the movie's reality to see that Jack also “Shines” in the storeroom. The increase in the number of cans indicates how much more of this ability Jack has over Dick Hallorann. This helps answer one of the most perplexing plot errors of this movie. How is it that Dick Hallorann, inexplicably, doesn’t know that Jack is hiding around the corner with an ax at the end of the movie? Jack can simply out ”Shine” Dick Hallorann who is unable to utilize his special ability to foresee the end his life.

Don’t forget the little hints that Stanley Kubrick sprinkles around the movie that point to Jack’s ability to “Shine” like Wendy bringing him breakfast in bed and we hear the obvious play on words, “I made ‘em just the way you like ‘em, sunny side up.” and Stanly Kubrick placing a red box from the "Golden Rey" company (pronounced ray), another play on words, that also appears out of nowhere between shots in the same scene next to his head.



There’s something else in this scene that lets us know that Jack has the ability to “Shine” as we look at Danny obviously posed next to a different red “Golden Rey” box of sliced pineapples as he "Shines". Get out your copy of the movie and listen to the sound effect we here during this scene (:27 into the movie).


There’s no doubt that Danny is “Shining" as he talks telepathically with Dick Hallorann in the storeroom. The weird sound effect we hear, as well as the red box, alerts us to this and is also part of the scene like the moving Calumet cans I just showed you. How can you say that Jack is not doing the same thing when Stanley Kubrick lets us hear the exact same weird sound as he visions Wendy and Danny playing outside throwing snowballs at each other in the snow (:46 into the movie)? When Dick Hallorann sees the vision of room 237 again we hear a similar sound effect (1:11 into the movie).




When Danny sees his vision of the bloody elevators we know it’s a product of his ability to “Shine” (:11 min. into the film). This is never disputed, then how can it be any different when Wendy has frame for frame the exact same vision of the bloody elevators at the end of the movie (2:14 into the film).



This is so obvious. They're seeing exactly the same vision of the bloody elevators and you cannot say that Danny is “Shining” when he sees his vision and Wendy is not “Shining” when she sees her vision. It’s exactly the same. Danny doesn't "Shine" it into her head either. Stanley Kubrick goes way beyond meticulous here and you have to observe this scene very carefully. The scuff marks on the floor in front of the elevators show us something important. The point of view is different each time we see the bloody elevators so even though they're seeing the same thing frame for frame each vision is totally unique to that character; they are seeing twin visions. The scene was shot with two adjacent cameras (Wendy’s on the right and Danny’s on the left) giving each character their own unique point of view. Can you think of any other scene in the history of moviemaking that was shot like this?


Wendy's ability becomes more apparent in direct proportion to her state of mind, but they are still doing the exact same thing and the pictures Stanley Kubrick placed in his finished work don’t lie and can’t be changed just like the ones of Dick Hallorann and Jack in the storeroom. They both prove the same thing.



Mr. Ullman’s tie changes color right before our eyes in these two sections of the same scene.


In the novel Dick Hallorann says this to Danny, "If there is trouble ... you give a call.” and Danny calls him several times. In the movie Dick Hallorann never says this line and Danny never calls him. There’s another reason why Dick returns to The Overlook from sunny Florida. Stanley Kubrick gives this explanation in his dialogue in Dick Hallorann's phone call to Larry Durkin at the gas station, “They've turned out to be completely unreliable assholes. Ullman phoned me last night, and I'm supposed to go up there and find out if they have to be replaced.” What he says is crystal clear and must have an explanation. Dick Hallorann never lies or exaggerates anything to anyone in the film (or the novel). How can this statement be true? It can't be debated, he says that Mr. Ullman ordered him to go back to The Overlook but how on earth does his boss know what’s happening at the hotel; the phones are out? Mr. Ullman knows because he has the same ability to see visions as the others. There’s absolutely no violation of the movies reality here. Stanley Kubrick simply makes an alteration from the novel and has another person viewing the same vision as Dick Hallorann, at the same time. It’s just been hidden from the audience. Like John Lennon sang in the song, "Instant Karma", that inspired Stephen King’s novel.... “We all ‘Shine’ on!” He’s taken those words from the song and turned them into the movie's reality. In Stanley Kubrick's Overlook that means Mr. Ullman too. He “Shines” and sees the exact same image of Jack in room 237 with the old woman that Dick Hallorann is seeing. In "The Shining's " reality there’s no other explanation as to how he would know something was wrong and order Dick Hallorann back to The Overlook. It’s now Stanley Kubrick’s "Overlook" and he can give that special supernatural ability to any character he wishes. Stanley Kubrick even puts this in the dialogue so there is no confusion of this fact, “But, there are other folks though mostly they don’t know it, or believe it”.

But what if you believe Dick Hallorann is lying to Larry Durkin about Mr. Ullman calling him, or lying or exaggerating about anything else in the movie (click here if you believe this could be true)?



How much proof is needed? Wendy, Jack and Mr. Ullman can also "Shine".

You might not feel it in your gut (yet) but can anyone prove that they don't have this ability? Give it some time. At first this seems shocking as it's so cleverly hidden from the audience but you must remember it's Stanley Kubrick’s "Overlook" and he can do anything he wishes to alter the story; no matter what opinion viewers may have. He can hide anything he wishes but the pictures don’t lie. Again, he even tells us in the dialogue what he’s doing as Dick Hallorann says this to Danny about other people with their special gift,

“But, there are other folks though mostly they don’t know it,
............................ or believe it”.

There are only a few characters in this movie, who do you think Stanley Kubrick was talking about when he wrote this? In the novel The Overlook covets Danny for his power and uses Jack to get it. What does it covet in the movie? Think about it for a second The Overlook is trying to kill Danny and ends up with Jack on the wall. It’s obvious that in the movie this time, if it wants anything at all, it wants Jack. Why would The Overlook want him if he didn’t have the most power to covet?



At this point you may be wondering why Dick Hallorann only seems to pick up on Danny’s special ability if these other people also have the “Shine”?

Stanley Kubrick lets us know, “there are other folks” but why does Dick Hallorann only seem to pick up on Danny’s special ability if these other people also have the “Shine”? In the novel Dick Hallorann meets several people that have the “Shine”. He knows it right away and so do they (“A Shine knows a Shine”, page 217 Chapter 38). Stanley Kubrick reverses the novel again. In the movie ‘a Shine doesn’t know a Shine’. The others don’t know that they have this ability and he plainly tells us this in the dialogue, “Though mostly they don’t know it”. Dick Hallorann is obviously not able to perceive it in them, and in the film he’s the only one we know of who knows he has the “Shine”. Then I realized that I had a huge problem to solve because it appears that he knows right away that Danny possesses the “Shine”. How could he not know about the others the same way? At first I thought that Danny’s age has something to do with him picking up on it. But that’s not it. Then I thought when Danny “Shines” in the game room seeing the twins, maybe that’s when Dick picks up on his ability. But that’s not right either. I went back to look at the scene again because I knew Stanley Kubrick wouldn’t leave out the answer. I couldn’t believe what I found; Dick Hallorann doesn’t know that Danny “Shines” at all. This seems crazy because it’s so incredibly well hidden by Stanley Kubrick in the dialogue. Look again at the question Dick Hallorann asks Danny in the kitchen, “Do you know how I knew your name was Doc?” The obvious question should have been, do you know how I spoke to you in your thoughts and said, “How'd you like some ice cream, Doc?” But he doesn’t mention the obvious elephant in the room. Because of the director’s brilliant manipulation we all just assume that Dick Hallorann starts the thought transfer between himself and Danny. This isn’t the case at all, if you look at the film it’s Danny that “Shines” first and Dick Hallorann is then able to pick up on the boy’s ability. That’s when he knows for sure and transfers the thought into Danny’s mind for the first time. In the film this is so important; Dick Hallorann only knows someone possesses “The Shine” if it’s directed at him. Again we know from Stanley Kubrick’s dialogue that there are others. And in a story with only five main characters it doesn't leave many for you to choose from.



How do you think those red Calumet cans behind Jack and Dick Hallorann’s heads appear right out of nowhere? And how about Mr. Ullman's tie?

The assumption that what I just showed you are accidental continuity errors is nonsense. There are many explanations that could explain individual shots but taken as a whole it’s pretty obvious with going on here - it's intentional. Stanley Kubrick places them up front to be noticed. They're part of the movie and within the framework of "The Shining's" reality they must have an explanation. Either The Overlook does it or they did it themselves but whatever the answer; a supernatural power is involved. There's no other answer yet many viewers form their own rock solid opinion's choosing to ignore the pictures that Stanley Kubrick placed within the movie, or choosing to ignore the dialogue he put into the movie, or not reading Stephen King’s novel and understanding the alterations that were made to it. Like the magically appearing Calumet cans and Mr. Ullman’s tie changing color before our eyes, a supernatural power is involved.



How can I proove that there are supernatural movements in Stanley Kubrick's Overlook?

There were supernatural movements in Stephen King's Overlook also. After all this is where Stanley Kubrick got the idea for the movie from and we must look there for some answers - and not ignore what we find.

For me the best and creepiest part of the novel was when The Overlook animates certain objects for its guests. It’s classic horror and Stanley Kubrick wouldn’t leave out such a great plot point from the novel. You just have to look very very closely if you want to see what actually moves.

Three items move through supernatural power in the novel. The Overlook animates The Hedge Animals, the fire hose, and the elevators. They’re all possessed by the hotel and scare the crap out of the Torrance’s because they obviously can move on their own. But what Stanley Kubrick did to these three items in the movie just cannot be denied or ignored. He’s totally inverted Stephen King’s novel and no one can dispute that these three items, glaringly if not hauntingly, remain totally motionless throughout the entire movie instead of moving by themselves (click here). Stanley Kubrick is “Shining” a vision right into our heads. Look at them all you like, because, in the movie, they will not move an inch (the elevator doors only move in the visions - not in the hotel). This is telling us something important.



Stanley Kubrick reversed what moves by supernatural powers in the novel and this leaves it open for anything other than these three items to move under mysterious supernatural circumstances; and in Stanley Kubrick's Overlook that's exactly what happens.



While he's scolding Wendy Jack pulls the sheet of paper out of the typewriter. After he's finished he makes another sheet appear back in the carriage again right out of thin air without touching it and without the audience hearing a thing.





So many items move when they shouldn't how do I know that it's not spooks inside The Overlook that are doing this?

Over ninety five percent of the movie is shot inside the hotel but there are scenes that take place outside of the hotel and these supernatural movements also happen in them. After Danny "Shines" and sees the vision of the bloody elevators watch the yellow and red dwarf Dopey as he makes it disappear from his bedroom door long before he enters the hotel.




In sunny Florida, Dick Hallorann "Shines" when he sees room 237 and makes the red painting above his headboard dissappear.


There's no other explination as the exact same thing happens outside of the hotel and well before Danny ever gets there. The characters posses a supernatural ability that also enables them to alter their surrondings. This is what the movie is about a supernatural ability; "The Shining". What a brilliant way Stanley Kubrick chose to alter their special ability from the novel. He works in the visual realm and made these character’s supernatural ability look like a common movie mistake. Again, Stanley Kubrick tells us others have the ability to “Shine” in the dialogue.

“But, there are other folks though mostly they don’t know it,
............................ or believe it”.
.....................And one of them is insane.

What's happening couldn't be more obvious. In the reality of the movie this must have an explination. The definition of psychokinesis (aka. telekinesis) is: the power to move a physical object by thinking about it without the application of physical force. Stanley Kubrick has made it quite obvious that when they "Shine" cast members in his movie also possess the ability to supernaturally move or change the color of items.



There's so much to show. As he tries to save himself from his father, Jack "Shines" and moves the entrance of the hedge maze closer to Danny in order to entice and trap his son in the maze. (Early on when we see this area several times, and in the hedge maze maps, there’s only one entrance to the maze and it’s not on the wall facing the hotel. Later the entrance moves from its original position to the wall 90 degrees to the left, and we now see it facing The Overlook. This can be seen best just before they escape the hotel as Danny walks straight into Wendy’s arms at the end of the movie. She’s standing right in front of the rear entrance of The Overlook where Dick Hallorann parked the Sno-cat. Earlier we see this same spot and there’s no entrance there.)






Skeptics say Stanley Kubrick didn’t alter the novel and give these characters the additional ability to psychokinetically move things but they'll have to have a good explanation for what happens in this picture. It's so obviously playful and also very well hidden - right in plain sight.

We see their trip up the mountain and they're the only ones on the road heading toward The Overlook. Just like when he moves the Calumet can, the Golden Rey box and opens the latch of the storeroom, Jack "Shines" and uses psychokinesis to move the unnaturally large pile of luggage on the right that couldn't fit in a VW if the engine and passengers were removed. It just appears at the end of their journey (without any indication of any outside help or a shred of luggage on or in the car). A supernatural power is involved, there's no other explanation of how the luggage got there. They had no other help.



People who “Shine” emit psychic energy and are able to power the TVs in The Overlook and again outside of The Overlook, at Dick Hallorann’s house, with no visible wires coming out of them.




You may have noticed as Jack gets crazier and crazier, whenever we see the outside of The Overlook different sets of lights are on each time. Especially in the end where no one ever flicks a light switch. Throughout the chase scene different lights go on and off by themselves even though no one is inside the hotel. It’s a no-brainer to say that the hotel is haunted and the spooks are causing this to happen but if you look deeper it’s not the case at all. It's like I showed in a previous section, the TV sets, Jack’s lamp on his desk, the clocks on the walls all have no wires coming out of them, these people have a special energy around them. Jack's descent into madness combined with his power to “Shine” can also cause odd things to happen like lights turning on and off by themselves.



Many items change color when they shouldn't. Danny didn't bring 2 trikes with him yet the wheels change color from white to red.



Jack didn't bring 2 typewriters either yet it also changes color.



Their room, same thing. They didn't repaint it durring their stay.


It's been painted a different color (by Stanley Kubrick's crew) as the back wall is also the same color.


The hallway in the final chase.


It's all a result of "Shining". That's what this movie is about.



Her state of mind is desperate and after Wendy drags Jack into the storeroom she changes the direction that the knives are facing. How many times does Stanley Kubrick have to make the knife reverse position or dissapear?



Later in the bathroom, she moves the same knife again. She throws it in the sink with the handle to the right, yet later when picking it back up she reverses the handle’s position to the left without ever touching it.

In the end when she doesn't need it anymore Wendy throws the knife down into the packed snow and now it disappears.

The knife also reverses position between shots when Danny "Shines" and Tony writes "Redrum" on the bathroom door.

You might be wondering about this; how could the characters not know that something moves around them?

The answer is found in Stephen King's novel when Danny talks about the Moving Hedge Animals and says, "It only happens when you're not looking.” Stanley Kubrick makes this sentence come alive in the movie. If you observe the characters closely they're never looking directly at the object that moves. Most are directly behind their heads and you must also remember it's a movie about a supernatural power, stuff happens. The movements are for the audience not the characters in the movie. Stanley Kubrick works in a visual realm, he reverses the sentence from the novel and now in the movie, "It only happens when [the audience is] looking.” But you do have to know where to look.



But Dick Hallorann doesn’t say anything to Danny about telekinesis as they speak about the "Shine" in the hotel's kitchen.

Hiding things must be something Stanley Kubrick enjoyed and making it overly obvious would have spoiled his fun. It's been hidden. Dick Hallorann simply doesn’t know about it, again, "It only happens when you're not looking.” If he knew everything there would be no movie and the fact that he doesn't means nothing. This is discussed by Stanley Kubrick in his interview with Michel Ciment . "If Danny had perfect ESP, there could be no story. He would anticipate everything, warn everybody and solve every problem. So his perception of the paranormal must be imperfect and fragmentary. This also happens to be consistent with most of the reports of telepathic experiences." The same applies to Dick Hallorann.

There's something else Dick Hallorann doesn't know about; he also has an invisable friend (click here) that Stanley Kubrick didn't tell Michel Ciment about.

The July 4th picture (the most enigmatic image in the history of motion pictures) just appears the same way on the wall in the final shot of “The Shining”. When we see that spot several times earlier in the movie, it isn’t there. It isn't hung on any other wall of The Overlook either, it just appears out of nowhere exactly like the Calumet cans. There's no evidence that any other supernatural power other than "Shining" is going on in this movie either. This is what the story is about and it's no stretch of the movie's reality to come to the correct assumption that someone "Shined" it onto that wall.

It’s Jack who puts the key into the lock of room 237, turns it, and opens the door.


It's Jack who "Shines" the image of the woman into Danny, Dick Hallorann and Mr. Ullman's minds.


It’s Jack who beats up Danny during his nightmare.


And it’s Jack who unlocks the storeroom and he does it all by psychokinesis.





There are so many continuity errors in "The Shining" and there are a myriad of explanations as to why they appear here (as well as in every other movie ever made). Stanley Kubrick goes to the next level though, and includes some that are actually intended to be a part of the movie. I've just shown them to you and here are some others for you to look at and wonder about.




Click here and go back to my blog with over 500 interesting pictures from the movie, and read more.