Lorraine Massey

**Lorraine Massey** is a minor posthumous antagonist in the The Shining franchise. She is a ghost at the Overlook Hotel.

## Biography

### Personality

In the past, Lorraine was known to seduce young bellboys into her room, where they would engage in sexual acts. Full of self-disgust, she one day committed suicide by slitting her wrists whilst taking a bath. After her death, she continues to haunt the hotel, seemingly becoming one of the strongest poltergeist there, as her room is the most feared.

### The Shining (book)

#### Background

In the past, a young Lorraine Massey would usually seduce young bellboys who would visit her room. She's the wife of a prominent New York lawyer, but is at the Overlook with a much younger man (underaged) who is obviously in it for the money. One night in July of 1977, while Mrs. Massey was drunk, her lover left in her Porsche and never came back. Ullman offered to call the police, but Mrs. Massey refused and proceeded to drink all day in the Colorado Lounge. Later, she commits suicide in the bathroom of 217.

Her ghost which haunts the room can appear like a zombie and is capable of affecting the physical world. Mrs. Massey's ghost can even choke people and probably much worse. She doesn't seem to be able to leave 217 and is a rather sad figure when we think about her. Like Roger, she's an embodiment of unrequited love.

#### Main Events

In the present, Danny Torrance visited this room after a ball strangely rolled to him from its open doors. Later, he claimed that a "crazy woman" tried to strangle him. Jack Torrance then entered 217 (237 in the film), in search of what his son claimed to have confronted. In the book he finds a little bathroom carpet, smells woman soap and catches a glimpse of her in the bath before escaping the room and hearing her trying to follow him inside.

### The Shining (film)

#### Background

In the past, a young Lorraine would usually seduce young bell boys who came into her room.

She was wife of a prominent New York lawyer. She came to the Overlook with a false identity and a much younger man (underaged) who is obviously in it for the money. One night, while Mrs. Massey was drunk, her lover left in her Porsche and never came back. Ullman offered to call the police, but Mrs. Massey refused and proceeded to drink all day in the Gold Room. Later, she commits suicide in the bathroom of 237.

#### Main Events

In the present, Danny Torrance visited this room after a ball rolled to him from its open doors. Later, he claimed a "crazy woman" tried to strangle him. His father Jack then leaves the Golden Room in search of what his son claimed to have confronted earlier.

Jack cautiously enters Room 237 and hears noises coming from the bathroom. Instead, he finds Lorraine as a young, beautiful woman taking a bath and watches lustfully. Lorraine then sees what she views as an opportunity of sorts and pulls back the shower curtain. After standing up and stepping slowly out of the bath, she approaches Jack, completely naked. She then runs her hands from his chest up to his neck with a lingering glance. The two approach each other and enter into a passionate kiss. During the kiss, however, Jack catches a glimpse of their reflection in the mirror and sees the woman is actually an elderly woman — a walking, rotting corpse with rotten, sagging skin. Having discovered this, Lorraine cackles evilly and chases Jack out of her room, reaching for him with her arms stretched out, while Danny (using the Shining in his bedroom) foresees her’s rotting corpse rising out of the bathtub hauntingly by itself. As Jack manages to escape room 237, he locks the door and runs away horrified, while Lorraine remains in her room, cackling.

### Doctor Sleep (book)

Three years after the incident at the Overlook, she appears on Danny’s toilet in the middle of the night in his new apartment in Florida. She tries to get him but he ends up shutting the door on her just in time, she then starts to scratch the door and disappears. A week later, with guidance from Dick Hallorann, Danny traps Mrs. Massey in a lockbox in his mind, as she screams.

### Doctor Sleep (film)

After the incident that happened at the Overlook, she continued to haunt the young Danny in his new home in Florida. With guidance from Dick Hallorann, Danny traps Mrs. Massey in a lockbox in his mind.

Later during the final confrontation with Danny and she and the other ghosts are released from their lockboxes by Danny in order to kill Rose the Hat. Starving, they consume her before turning on Danny and placing him under the Overlook's control to kill Abra Stone. She then appears in Room 237 to scare Abra.

After the entire ordeal, Lorraine Massey haunts her like how she did with young Danny Torrance.

## Appearances

* The Shining (book)
* The Shining (film)
* The Shining (miniseries)
* Doctor Sleep (book)
* Doctor Sleep (film)

## Trivia

* In the film adaptation, she seduces Jack Torrence with a kiss, then morphes into a rotting corpse (Billie Gibson). In the television series, Jack only catches a glimpse of her rotting corpse in the bath and runs away.
* In the film adaption, she doesn't speak a word. In the television series, she speaks by often quoting, "*Here a boy, there a boy, everywhere a boy boy!*".
* In the book, she's the hotel's freshest death at the time the Torrances move in. It's likely this is the case in the film adaptation as well.
* She makes a brief cameo appearance in *The Shining* level in the 2018 film *Ready Player One*.

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