Here's the meaning of The Shining Bear Man explained. Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. Well explain each theory, why people believe it, and look at the corroborating evidence. Of all the places in the film that a picture of bears could appear this one is right above Dannys bed and there are no other framed bear pictures in the film. Is she a lesbian? Those who believe this theory point to a handful of other small details. The visual imagery along with the symbolism, sound and production design, character mannerisms or dialogues have their own story to telland every single one of them could take you down through a different path, like a maze except theres no area of convergence. Although only 13 seconds, this scene was an eerie moment that is enough to disturb viewers and keep them questioning even 40 years after the film has been released. The Shining novel, however, has a very different ending, and one that even made way for a sequel: Doctor Sleep. Here he is discussing said adaptation. All of this corresponds to Wendy's horrified reaction to seeing The Shining bear man in the hallway, which Ager suggests may or may not imply that she has realized, at that moment, what's been happening to Danny in The Shining movie. INCEST: Why parents sleep with their children. The Bear Man is the biggest evidence of Dannys sexual abuse. Who is the man in the bear costume in "The Shining"? She looks at the inscription through the mirror which reveals itself to be MURDER. In the book, there's parts where it flashes back to the Overlook's crazy (and unusual) parties in the 1940s, and the owner of the hotel participated in these parties and had a sex slave, Roger I believe, who he'd dress up like a dog and make him do "tricks" as entertainment for the partygoers. Without Kubrick around to spell out his intentions, the answer is, . Theres the woman in room 237 obviously, but theres also a woman walking down a flight of stairs in the lobby who he briefly stares at and theres the two women who say goodbye to Ullman outside the Torrance apartment Jack is last to enter the apartment and sneaks a sly peak at them. Jack had a history of anger issues and violence, mainly against his family. Here is a piece of evidence which on its own acts as virtual confirmation of this theme. The scene with the man in the dog costume and the man in a tuxedo is the one used to support this theory, which says the dog represents young Danny Torrance (who earlier in the film is shown to have a plush toy) and the man in the tuxedo represents Jack. For a detailed description of this subplot follow this link. Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and film critic. Move forward, we see Wendy talking to the radio operator about the failed telephone connectivity because of the snow storm. Theres something inherently wrong with the human personality. But The Shining bear man does have a disturbing and specific implication. Now I wont beat around the bush by building up to my interpretation of this theme. Danny goes back to his room to get his firetruck and sees a grim looking Jack, his face shown through the mirror again. This was a controversial essay claiming that the medical professions have a tendency to mistakenly label physical health conditions as manifestations of psychological problems. Jack, Ullman, Bill Watson, Lloyd the bartender not one wedding ring, and Gradys hands are gloved so we cant see whether he is wearing a ring or not. This gives you an inkling of the absurd lengths Kubrick will go to make a tiny subliminal detail that will go unnoticed by almost everyone watching the picture. This imagery is reinforced by the man in the bear outfit performing oral sex on another man at the films climax. For example, during the scene where Danny is speaking to his psychiatrist, he is laying on stuffed bears. Instead of being inside, the young boy is out in the hedge maze being pursued by his father. The hallucination ends when an hysteric Wendy comes running in and informs Jack about a woman in Room 237 who tried to strangle Danny. Whilst a framed picture of two bears can be seen hanging above Dannys bed at the start of the film, the most obvious reference to the terrifying animals can be seen when the boy is speaking to the psychiatrist after he faints in the bathroom. As for Jack, he does die but not in the snow: a malfunctioning boiler explodes and kills Jack while also destroying the hotel. Before we get into The Shining fan theories, its important to acknowledge the source material. The bear symbolizes homosexuality and sexual abuse. ", Doctor: "Does Tony ever ask you to do things? You look up and wonder, how could anyone have climbed that high? Last update on 2023-02-28 / Source: Amazon Affiliates. But one of the films most unforgettable elements has to be the haunting visuals of the film. The Shining Caretaker Explained. Many people have asked me about the significance of the number 42 on Dannys T-shirt in the tooth brushing / shining scene. As mentioned above, Kubrick left many details open to interpretation, whether for viewers to come up with their own explanations or just to mess with them. A stone labyrinth in the case of the minotaur and a snowy hedge maze in the case of The Shining. We see Halloran whos in Miami but suddenly gets shocking visions that arent shown and the shot switches to a traumatised Danny whimpering because of the visions. He is unable to put his undivided attention towards detailing while writing the story or thinking about it, since his consciousness pertains to a limit of recollection. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings. This concept is further paralleled in our first view of Dannys bedroom in the Overlook. Elsewhere in the documentary there is an emphasis on sexual behaviour from Jack. Kubrick didnt just show us random footage from the set. We are given a tour of The Overlook, and in these long takes Kubrick covers every detail and clue that is crucial to the story, a prime example of his unparalleled intelligence, something that left me shell-shocked on a second watch. The shot of the bathroom door with Danny bending is very similar to the shot of the room with the bear man performing fellatio on an unknown man in a posture similar to Dannys. Although King didnt oppose to that at the time, he wasnt expecting Kubrick to go as far as to change the essence of the book. We are tracking a yellow car driving through the mountains and at the same time observing the vastness and seclusion of the landscape. Unlike the film, Hallorann in the book doesnt die and helps Wendy and Danny escape. . THE SHINING who is the man in the bear costume? Wendy too looks in the mirror, and overlap the two scenes and you find Jack holding Danny while the mirror shows the filthiness of his atrocities. The number 42 was shown on Dannys shirt as a parallel with the sexual relationship content of the film Summer of 42, and Danny is wearing it in the early summer scenes of the film. Related: The Shining Movie's Most Significant Difference From Stephen King's Book. Because what we really see are two different versions. Inside, a man in a bear suit is performing fellatio on one of the Overlook's guests. Jack gets annoyed by Wendy coming in while he was working and tries hard not to completely lose it. Both of them secretly despise their wives. In particular, we see Jack Nicholson and James Mason having a personal chat, while the rest of Masons family meet Kubrick himself. The second obvious factor is that Kubrick has omitted the entire back story associated to the dog costumed man in the book, leaving his audience at a complete loss as to the scenes meaning. The final outcome was, as we all are aware of, one of the finest horror movies of all time. This scene has been interpreted many ways, and one of the most popular explanations is that it represents the hotel absorbing Jacks soul. Stanley Kubrick's iconic Stephen King adaptation is intentionally dense and even nonsensical at times. There is also an odd Mickey Mouse parallel. He also informs Jack about Danny involving an outside party (Halloran) in the situation and stresses on words like will, to upset Jack. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows. But there are also plenty of ludicrously far-fetched The Shining conspiracy theories that made the cut as well. I love Joe Turkels mesmerizing performance as Lloyd, his calmness giving a helping hand to Jacks boiling conscious. Its rumbling overcome by Jacks maddening bellows, who eventually freezes to death. We also see two doors on either side of Room 237 that lead nowhere. Now starts a series of intentional continuity errors and weird set designs, that are prevalent throughout the movie. The most disturbing aspect of the movie and something that creeped me out after thinking about it (I am an avid horror movie fan but this aspect is just terrifying). Both Jack and Humbert are writers. Below are the six biggest and most popular theories on The Shining explained. Like The Shining's Overlook Hotel, the Stanley Hotel also has a haunted history, even possessing a particularly haunted room (number 217) just like the Overlook's room 237. On the way he sees the corridors filled with balloons and ribbons and discovers a huge party going on in the Gold Room. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Kubrick failed in adapting Stephen Kings book, but he succeeded in making a film full of metaphors and symbolism that have made way for countless interpretations of its true meaning. This is typed inconsistently throughout , with typos and no punctuations highlighting Jacks own ever-growing trance or unstable mental health over the course. He also echoes back the same words the Grady twins say, forever and ever and ever. He goes upto the bar and meets Lloyd who fixes him another drink and says the expense is on the house, indicating the effort of the Overlook to carry Jack down the hill of madness. Danny writes REDRUM with a red crayon on the door of the bathroom while Wendys sleeping and starts repeating it to wake her up. Jack then goes after Danny, who runs into the hedge maze all this during a snowstorm. Super Dark The Shining Theory Reveals The Story Is All In Wendy's Head. What she sees when she gets there is a disturbing image of a man in a bear costume performing fellatio on a man in a tuxedo. Its now even more clear why Kubrick chose such a sombre piece of music for the fatherly love scene. The film Stanley Kubrick called "the best film I think I have ever seen" Shrouded in strange mystery, puzzling cinephiles for decades, one of the film's darkest secrets is the curious meaning behind the bear who appears to Shelley Duvall's Wendy as she is desperately escaping Jack's grasp. But that hasnt stopped people all over the world from trying. The ball itself is featured in another scene with Jack throwing it against a wall in the hotel lobby. Simply put, this The Shining analysis posits that the film is just as much about the genocide of Native Americans as it is about ghosts haunting the hotel. One final detail hinting at Jack's guilt as an abuser of his family is his rotten glance to Danny's bedroom (and the camera) after argueing with Wendy about Danny's injuries. Stanley Kubrick's epic, bizarre, somewhat controversial adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining was released 40 years ago this week. Note how Jack wears dull colored clothes in the beginning but wears a burgundy jacket throughout the second half and the opposite for Wendy who wears a bright red and blue costume, similar to that of the Goofy poster in Dannys bedroom but towards the end opts for dull ones. It is used throughout the movie to symbolize the incest and sexual abuse between Jack and Danny. Specifically, the spaceship sweater with Apollo 11 written on it, which was the name of the rocket used in the moon landing. Theres also a poster of bears right above Dannys bed with the smaller bear on its knees. The one on the left would be overlapped by the stretched size of 237, seen in the bathroom scene and the one on the right shows a stairway going downstairs where Room 237 is. Theseus was a king of Athens and one of the legendary heroes of old. Were in a golden age of TV writing and development. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Tony is a little boy that lives in my mouth, Danny states, complaining about his mental condition, to which the doctor replies: If you were to open your mouth could I see TonyDoes Tony ever ask you to do things?. That scene towards the end of The Shining where Wendy (Shelley Duvall) is navigating the hallways and sees a man receiving a bj from a person in a creepy bear suit. Tony disapproves of the Torrances decision to move to The Overlook and in a very intriguing scene, Danny is shown visions of the consequences ranging from a flood of red liquid gushing out from elevators, two identical young girls and a totaled image of himself. Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this. The supposed connection is that Monarch is believed to be the codename for one of the CIAs mind control experiments, though this is mere conjecture. Danny: "Tony is a little boy that lives in my mouth. A month passes and we are greeted with the most iconic tracking shot of all time and unlike most of them, it tracks the tricycle of a kid moving around empty corridors with the echoing sound of the wheels rolling against the wooden floor creating a oddly satisfying atmosphere. Danny has visions about the hotel right after Jack gets the job and during his time at the hotel, and has a traumatizing experience when drawn into the forbidden room 237. Danny escapes the maze and reunites with Wendy, and they escape in Hallorans snowcat. Another bear reference is found in Dannys bedroom at the Overlook. Danny on the other hand after the physical trauma goes into a semi-conscious state, Tony taking hold of the reigns and keeps on repeating the word redrum in a very mechanical trance. In addition to beating him, Jack sexually abuses Danny. The most obvious parallel is that both stories feature their combating opponents showing down in a sprawling maze. ew films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks, a film that can be definitively explained? Most recently, Pennywise was portrayed byBill Skarsgardin Demons, ghosts, and serial killers all make for frightening movie subjects. Spiked with sexual innuendo, this conversation holds several clues to the truth behind the relationship between Danny, his father and the imagery of the bear, with many suggesting that the animal is symbolic of Jacks predatory control over his family and sexual abuse of his son. And Kubrick all but disregarded the novel when making the film. In the kitchen, Halloran takes Wendy and Danny through a twisting-turning path and then opens the freezer room, shot cuts, and we see him opening the door on the wrong side contradicting the previous shot. With a narrative that's as puzzling and confusing as the hedge maze found in the terrifying climax, The Shining has led fans to rack their head for it's various meanings for the past 40 years. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Contents 1 Biography 2 Notes & Trivia 3 See also 4 External Links 5 Appearances 6 References This is one of the film's unique scenes (along with the Grady twins) and it has received a number of interpretations. Jack as warned by Grady kills Halloran with a strike to the chest in the lobby. The Shining is full of allegory and mystery, but none are as wild and potentially insidious as what could be lurking behind that strange man in a bear suit. and our Her relationship with Jack seems to be totally lacking in intimacy. Stanley Kubricks The Shining is regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made, and one that to this day continues to be the subject of many debates and discussions. In Doctor Sleep, Adult Danny Torrance is forced to head to the Overlook in order to unleash a greater evil on villain Rose the Hat, but while there encounters the ghost of his father. The sexual abuse theme is even communicated in the making of documentary. This is thought to reference the estimated 237,000 miles between the Earth and the moon, even though this number is inaccurate. Being one of the best 80s horror movies, the flick is so much more than just cheap jump scares. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Did Jack put them there? This is also one of the only theories to be supported in part by Stephen Kings novel alongside the figurative representation of hell. The book and movie are extremely divergent. Jack later speaks to a disappointed Grady through the door, who believes Jack doesnt have the stomach to carry out the task. A visual medium requires visual methods. Also introduced is an invisible character Tony, who apparently lives inside Dannys mouth. Vitali became a close career-long collaborator of Kubricks and on the set of The Shining he was assigned to work closely with the young actor Danny Lloyd (there are several parallels in The Shining between actors first names and the first names of characters two Jacks, two Dannys and two Lloyds). In this interview, Stephen King supports the notion that the Overlook Hotel could represent hell. Pausing, Danny snaps back: I dont wanna talk about Tony any more, ending the conversation and the scene. Charles Grady killed his family with an axe, and Jack was on track to replicate that. At the beginning of the movie, Wendy mentions that Jack once injured Danny's arm, and it's later implied that Danny's imaginary friend, Tony, is . The Overlook or the hedge structure. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within. Note how the scene opens with a close-up shot of the beige typewriter and slowly zooms out. 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