The Shining story
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. The film is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd.
17 total · 11 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| childhood imaginary friend | major | Danny had an imaginary friend named Tony, although Tony might in fact have been something else (this is not wholly clear). |
| creative writing | major | Jack had trouble getting his writing career going again and sought seclusion as a means of kicking it off. |
| descent into madness | major | Jack gradually lost his mind while cooped up in a remote hotel that he was hired to take care of for the winter. He ultimately became fixated on annihilating his wife and young son, who were staying there together with him. |
| father and son | major | Jack and his young son Danny. |
| ghost | major | Numerous ghosts haunted the Overlook Hotel, perhaps because of bad things that had happened there and because it was built on an ancient Indian burial ground. |
| haunted house | major | Numerous ghosts haunted the Overlook Hotel, perhaps because of bad things that had happened there and because it was built on an ancient Indian burial ground. |
| husband and wife | major | Jack and Wendy Torrance. |
| mother and son | major | Wendy and her young son Danny. |
| murder | major | Jack became fixated on following in Grady's footsteps by annihilating his own family. |
| telepathic ability | major | The Shining appeared primarily to be a form of telepathy, although it had other attributes. |