THE SHINING: A Guide To Better Living

THE SHINING (1980)

Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Phillip Stone, Joe Turkel, Barry Nelson. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. 144 min.

Essay by D.M. Anderson💀

The Shining is, of course, a horror classic, but I’ve never considered it a great movie. 

Part of the reason is I read Stephen King’s novel first, back when I was teenager. At the time, The Shining was the scariest damn thing I ever read. So when I heard it was going to be a movie, I expected it to make The Exorcist look like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. Unfortunately, that didn't happen because the movie was a total bastardization of the novel. While watching Jack Nicholson slowly go apeshit was (and still is) a lot of fun, he’s more rousing than scary. There’s something inherently amiss with any horror movie that has you cheering-on the antagonist.

The other reason is Stanley Kubrick. I’m actually a huge Kubrick fan and some of his classics (2001: A Space Odyssey, The Killing, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange) are among my all-time favorites. His films have a unique look and tone that elevate them into works of art. Kubrick tackled a lot of different genres, but somehow his movies all feel the same. When you’re watching a Stanley Kubrick movie, you know you’re watching a Stanley Kubrick movie. Which is why he was totally the wrong guy to direct The Shining. With his signature long takes, elaborate production design and Steadicam tracking shots, this is 144 minutes of Kubrick saying “look what I can do.” (I imagine it irked him just a little that Nicholson got most of the attention). 

None of this is to say I don’t like The Shining. It’s a pretty good Kubrick film, just not a good Stephen King film. But a pretty good Kubrick film is still better than most directors’ magnum opuses and this one is filled with memorable moments and imagery. What’s more, the film has had a profound impact on me personally, offering a slice of philosophical wisdom that has shaped my life over the years.

In the movie, Jack Torrance (Nicholson) is a recovering alcoholic & struggling writer who takes a seasonal job as the winter caretaker at the historic Overlook Hotel, nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains. By the way, I live about 40 miles from Timberline Lodge, which served as the Overlook for exterior shots. If you’re ever in the Portland, Oregon area, it is well worth visiting. Located on Mount Hood, Timberline is a beautiful place with a rich history of its own (though decidedly less evil). And yes, they sell The Shining merchandise there.

Anyway, accompanying Jack are his mousy wife, Wendy (Shelly Duvall), and their young son Danny (Danny Lloyd). For five months, the three will be isolated, which Jack hopes will give him the opportunity to complete a writing project. Danny also has a “gift” known as shining, explained to him by hotel chef Dick Halloran (Scatman Crothers) before the place closes for the winter. Shining is a type of clairvoyance that not only allows Danny to have visions of the future, he can also see things that have happened long ago. Almost right away, he senses the Overlook is historically evil. 

"Of course I washed my hands."

Meanwhile, instead of working on his writing, Jack slowly loses his mind. This is where Kubrick tends to greatly deviate from King’s novel, leaning more heavily toward psychological horror than the story’s supernatural aspects (Danny’s visions notwithstanding). For much of the film, it’s suggested that the evil presence encouraging Jack to turn homicidal could possibly be a product of his imagination, rather than the hotel itself possessing him. I dunno…maybe Kubrick had a hard time buying into the whole ghost angle, which could be why most of the genuine supernatural elements are haphazardly stuffed into the final act.

Jack eventually snaps, and in the film’s best scene, he saunters toward a sobbing Wendy, verbally berating her while she backs away, clutching a baseball bat in utter terror. She cries that she’s worried about Danny (quasi catatonic after an encounter with one of the Overlook’s entities) and pleads for them to leave the hotel to get him help. Jack snaps back that leaving now would ruin any chance for him to make something of himself. Wendy cries that she wants to return to their hotel room to think things over. Grinning, wild-eyed and clearly intent on killing right there on the stairs, Jack replies, “You’ve had your whole fucking life to think things over. What good is a few minutes more gonna do you now?”

Jack crazily screaming “Heeere’s Johnny!” is The Shining’s most legendary line, though I seriously doubt many modern audiences are aware of its cultural context (for decades, it was Tonight Show host Johnny Carson’s introduction every night). But personally, “What good is a few minutes more gonna do you now?” is the one that continues to resonate with me. 

As a true nerd, I’ve always enjoyed referencing films whenever certain opportunities arise. When a friend or co-worker is having a shitty day, I often catch myself saying “Every day above ground is a good day” (from Scarface). Or screaming “Nice signal, dickhead!” at oblivious drivers (James Caan’s funniest outburst in Alien Nation). And what self-respecting movie lover doesn’t share a toast with “Here’s to swimmin’ with bow-legged women”? For the sake of expediency, I’ll spare you the number of times I’ve worked quotes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Mystery Science Theater 3000 into casual conversation.

But “What good is a few minutes more gonna do you now?” is more than just a great line. It’s a philosophy that I’ve adapted to various aspects of my life. I used to be one of those folks who kept hitting the snooze bar on my alarm clock every morning, sometimes three or four times. Not only did that leave me scrambling to get to work on time, sleep experts concur that it isn’t recommended because it disrupts a healthy sleep cycle. But one particular morning when the alarm went off, What good is a few minutes more gonna do you now? popped into my head. I haven’t hit the snooze bar since and I feel a lot better.

Like a lot of people who enjoy indulging in empty calories, I opened a bag of Funyuns one time and mindlessly munched while watching TV. Then before I knew it, I’d chowed down on most of the bag. But here’s the problem…Funyuns are my wife’s favorite snack and she’s usually the main reason they end up in the grocery cart each week. That’s when I took a long hard look at what was left in the bag and shrugged, What harm is the few more Funyuns gonna do me now? And with no evidence left that we even bought a bag, I later claimed we must have simply forgotten to grab one the last time we shopped. Sure, I felt a twinge of guilt while sucking the remaining salt from my fingers, but at least I was still alive to feel guilty.

"My God, how much can one cat eat?"

I have two cats, Pepper and Mr. Bonnie, who are spoiled rotten by everybody in the house. Pepper is especially motivated by food, especially cat treats, and every damn one of us have been guilty of giving her almost an entire bag in one sitting because she looks so cute asking for them, standing on her hindlegs like a meerkat. But if we kept that up, it wouldn’t be long before she resembled a football and her meerkat legs would disappear under a gelatinous gut. So we’re trying to curb her gluttony just a tad. Sorry, Pepper. You’ve already had a dozen treats today. What good is a few more gonna do you now? Sure, she saunters away indignantly, but she’ll someday be thankful that she can saunter without waddling.

On the professional front, I was a teacher for 26 years before finally retiring. During that time, there have been literally hundreds of kids who slacked off for an entire quarter, then just before grading time, they coming begging for me to accept work that was due weeks (sometimes months) ago. I used to be sympathetic, but eventually got tired of grading late papers on weekends just because these little bastards refused to drop their PS5 controllers for a few minutes. Instead, I began telling some of them, “You’ve had the whole term to get caught up. What good is a few days more gonna do you now?” They walk away dejected, but at least I could now enjoy NFL Sundays without any other responsibility but making sure the cheese dip is warm.

I could go on, but what good are a few more examples gonna do you now?

The Shining is widely considered one of the greatest horror films ever made, an assessment I don’t agree with (which puts me in the extreme minority). But even though it was probably never his intention, good ol’ Stanley Kubrick certainly came through with some great self-improvement advice. And I’m a hell of a lot happier.