"The Shining" as a form of hypnosis.

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2000)

Having first seen this film about 10 years ago I can't stop thinking about the nature of its influence on the audience.
I am not going to waste time on discussing the script, the acting, the camera angles, etc. All this stuff has been addressed well enough in other people's comments, and I basically agree with them despite all their diversity, because the only important thing about such purely subjective matters as comments is the integrity of a person's opinion. From this viewpoint, there is nothing much left to say. Instead, I would like to take a look at the movie form a different perspective, which in itself is not original, either, but is still worth a little more attention, necessary to emphasize the basic difference in people's perceptions of this piece of cinematography. I will speak in rather general terms, for the most part without specific reference to Kubrick's film.
It is hardly arguable that an essential element of horror is the incongruous. Hence, the effect of a good horror flick must be of hypnotic nature, so that you should believe in what shows on the screen in almost the same way as you believe in the absurdities of your own dreams. The essence of hypnosis lies in turning on your subconscious. Hence what you see before your eyes isn't so important as what's going on before your mind's eye at the same moment. It stands to reason that for its full effect an act of hypnosis doesn't have to look like a superstar performance.
The same with a horror movie, which doesn't have to be a masterpiece, or something, simply to produce a profound sense of fear. Reversely, no artistic merits whatsoever can help if the movie fails to convey this subliminal message.
I guess, there is hardly anybody who would measure the psychological effect of his or her own nightmares by their "artistic" merits. Nightmares are scary not because they have a convincing "plot", or anything of that sort, but simply because the person is asleep, i.e. in a special state of mind that submerges part of the conscious deep into the subconscious, thus bringing the rational into close contact with the irrational, which is exactly what is responsible for the worst human fears.
People are susceptible to hypnosis in a different measure. Hence different reactions of various parts of the audience. Some people are not hypnotic enough, and the mesmerizing passes are lost on them. The eyes of these persons are not turned inward, but only outward as they keep counting the swings of the pendulum, as it were, instead of going to sleep. These individuals are evidently terribly bored, and are consequently at leisure to catalogue a lot of annoying details about the hypnotist: the tones of his voice are not convincing enough, the passes he makes are not impressive, and, for God's sake, his shoes don't hardly Shine as they should.
If you don't like Kubrick's film, there is nothing I can do to talk you into believing that it's great, and if you do like it, there is nothing I need to say further. But if you haven't seen it yet, well, that makes a difference. Chances are you just might like it, but the problem is, this might be a little more than what you bargained for, because the subliminal effect of this horror flick, unlike that of tons and tons of others, seems to be virtually never-ending. It's almost as if the hypnotist is gone without waking you up, and you seem to be stuck forever in your mental Overlook, just like Jack in the end. Of course, it's all mighty personal, but who knows?
Anyway, if you happen to be the suggestive type, be advised that an excellent relief for the anxiety of your white nights resulting from inadvertently watching this movie could be easily afforded by reading the numerous negative comments, which, luckily, never fail to appear, so you will always be quite comfortably provided in this respect. For a better therapeutic effect, you might even feel like writing some such comment of your own. A ready-made summary "Who's afraid of the Dull Boy Jack?" would suit the material just fine.