The Shining

Main Plot

The Shining follows Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel. He moves there with his wife, Wendy, and their young son, Danny, who possesses psychic abilities known as "the shining." As winter sets in and the hotel becomes snowbound, Jack's mental state deteriorates under the influence of the hotel's supernatural forces. Meanwhile, Danny's visions reveal the dark history of the hotel and its malevolent spirits. As Jack becomes increasingly unstable and violent, Wendy and Danny must confront the terrifying reality of their situation. The film explores themes of isolation, madness, and the impact of past traumas, culminating in a chilling atmosphere that blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural.

Characters

• Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a writer and winter caretaker who descends into madness, endangering his family in a haunted hotel.
• Shelley Duvall plays Wendy Torrance, the wife of Jack Torrance, who struggles to protect her son from her increasingly unstable husband in a haunted hotel.
• Danny Lloyd plays Danny Torrance, a young boy with psychic abilities who senses the malevolent forces at the isolated Overlook Hotel, crucially impacting the story's tension and horror.

Ending Explained

In the ending of The Shining, the tension reaches its peak as Jack Torrance, driven mad by the malevolent forces of the Overlook Hotel, pursues his wife Wendy and son Danny through the snow-covered maze outside the hotel. Danny cleverly uses his knowledge of the maze to escape from Jack, leading him in circles and ultimately causing Jack to become disoriented. This moment symbolizes Danny's resourcefulness and resilience against the overwhelming evil that has consumed his father. As Jack succumbs to the cold and his own madness, Wendy and Danny manage to escape the hotel, leaving behind the horrors that unfolded within its walls. The final scenes reveal Jack frozen to death in the maze, a stark contrast to the earlier scenes where he was a figure of terror. The ending underscores the themes of isolation, madness, and the cyclical nature of violence, as the hotel continues to exist, waiting for its next victims. The film concludes with a haunting image of a photograph from 1921, showing Jack at a party, suggesting that he has become part of the hotel's dark history. This connection reinforces the idea that the Overlook Hotel has a life of its own, perpetuating its cycle of horror through its inhabitants.