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15 References And Hidden Meanings In 'The Shining'

Sorry, conspiracists.

15 References And Hidden Meanings In 'The Shining'

July 05, 2021

Since the release of The Shining back in 1980, it’s been a sport for what feels like every other director to pay homage to Stanley Kubrick’s movie in their own films. But Kubrick himself sneaked a lot of references into his film, too. Here’s a list, and also one Easter egg that we debunk.

15

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG The famous axe scene was inspired by The Phantom Carriage. The iconic 1921 silent film sees a drunken man taking an axe to the door with his wife and children on the other side. Even the pace of the door smashing is the same as the scene in Kubrick's movie. It's also believed that the 1919 film Broken Blossoms served as inspiration. CRACKED.COM — Clip from The Phantom Carriage, Clip from Broken Blossoms

14

easter eggstra meanings and references Danny says THE SHiNiNG redrum 42 times. REGRUM The number 42 is scattered throughout the movie, from Danny's shirt to the Summer of '42 on the TV screen. It's believed that this is a reference to the Holocaust and the Final Solution that was rolled out in 1942. CRACKED.COM — Vulture, CNN

13

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG The Silence Ingmar Bergman's 1963 film sees a bored boy roaming the halls of an empty hotel, sans ghosts. CRACKED.COM — Widescreenings.com

12

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG The Playgirl magazine PLAYGIRL 31 OF SHUTCHS Steep Children CRIMINALS TV COMMERCE While Jack Torrence is waiting in the lobby of the Overlook Hotel, he's reading a copy of a magazine not usually found in the lobby of a hotel. There have been many speculations as to what this could mean, especially looking at the cover stories of the magazine, but it could also simply point to Jack's fantasies that the Overlook seems able to give him. CRACKED.COM — The Overlook Hotel

11

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Thanks, David Lynch Kubrick was a big fan of Lynch's Eraserhead, and paid homage to the film by using similar sound, lingering shots, and modeling the bathroom scene of Room 237 to the apartment 27 in Lynch's film. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant

10

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Day of Wrath The movie's main title music is taken from Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), a Latin sequence and Gregorian chant from the Requiem Mass for the Dead. It has also been used to describe Judgement day. Given the references to Native Americans as well as the Holocaust in the movie, the song makes sense in context. CRACKED.COM — Valerio Sbravatti, M Files

9

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Jack's colored clothes In the first part of the film, Jack wears a lot of green, but following the dream in which he cuts Wendy and Danny into pieces, he dons his red jacket for the rest of the film, signifying how his nature has changed. CRACKED.COM — Back to the Movies

8

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Keep America Beautiful week AMERICA DIAUTIFUL When Wendy tells Danny The loser has to keep America clean, it's a reference to the various PSAs about anti-littering in the U.S. Many people use the Crying Indian PSA as reference here, but there's also a PSA from 1961 that says keeping America clean is a family affair, and shows a kid with their parents walking along - a stark contrast to Wendy and Danny going out without Jack. GRACKED.COM — Slant Magazine, Keep America Beautiful PSA

7

easter eggstra meanings and references There is no THE SHiNiNG maze at the start. The opening scene ends with an overhead shot of the Overlook Hotel in a mountainous area and, while there are trees, the hedge maze isn't there. Yet. CRACKED.COM — Clip, Looper

6

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror A scene where Wendy walks up the stairs shows her shadow on the wall, much like in the 1922 German film. CRACKED.COM — Clip

5

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Here's Johnny! Not only did Jack Nicholson ad lib the line, but it was a reference to the opening of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. CRACKED.COM — The Independent

4

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Dopey in Danny's room In the beginning of the film we see the cartoon of Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but later on that sticker disappears. It signifies Danny's change from dopey to enlightened. CRACKED.COM — The New Yorker

3

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Danny's tricycle Danny riding his tricycle on the carpet down the halls echoes Damian riding his tricycle in The Omen. CRACKED.COM — Clip from The Omen

2

easter eggstra meanings and references THE SHiNiNG Retracing steps Danny flees his dad in the maze by retracing his steps and confusing Jack Torrence in the process. Retracing steps is a known Native American scout method. GRACKED.COM — Film Quarterly, Clip

1

easter eggstra meanings and references An Easter THE SHiNiNG egg, debunked. People have said that Danny's Apollo 11 jersey was Kubrick's way of addressing the conspiracy connecting him to the supposed fake moon landing. The jersey was actually knitted by a friend of the costume designer, Milena Canonero, and when Kubrick said he wanted Danny to wear something handmade, Canonero brought the jersey to the set. CRACKED.COM — E!

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