And not to "Jesus juke" your commentary, but there are a plethora of theological themes and truths emerging from your note that Jack serves as a mirror of our own ability for evil. I think it was Rev. Jacob Smith who once said that each of us is three bad days away from making headline news, and most of us are on day two, which is sort of the point. Theologically, that admission is why I am such a proponent of the grace of Jesus, without which, I shudder to think where I'd be.
"[The demands of life] anger him because he regards his time as his own and feels that it is being stolen. You must therefore zealously guard in his mind the curious assumption ‘My time is my own’. Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours. Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of this property which he has to make over to his employers, and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties. But what he must never be permitted to doubt is that the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright."
I think about this stuff so much I've got a running list all the art I've ever encountered about the loss of free time. (The very best might be The Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last.") I never thought The Shining belonged on the list: you've definitely convinced me it does!
One last thought: I've hated Freud ever since I was forced to take him seriously as an English major. The one concept I always found interesting, though, was that of "the uncanny"--and it turns out it's the one concept he stole from an earlier thinker, lol.
Nice essay. Doctor Sleep definitely doesn't get the love it deserves. If you're in any way a fan of The Shining, you need to see it. The whole last act is literally at the same hotel!
It’s one of the few legacy sequels of the last 10 years that justifies its existence and isn’t just a crappy movie wearing a great movie’s skin suit. I got chills when the camera started moving through the mountains and the Shining theme kicked in. Flanagan is a fantastic director.
Indeed. And I agree on Flanagan. The scariest thing I've watched in any format over the last ten years was the Hill House miniseries on Netflix. The one about the vampires on the island was good, too.
Wow, this is excellent, Peter 👏 These insights really add a new layer of dread to an already dreadful (in a good way) film.
Thanks. It’s really crazy how many layers that movie is operating on.
And not to "Jesus juke" your commentary, but there are a plethora of theological themes and truths emerging from your note that Jack serves as a mirror of our own ability for evil. I think it was Rev. Jacob Smith who once said that each of us is three bad days away from making headline news, and most of us are on day two, which is sort of the point. Theologically, that admission is why I am such a proponent of the grace of Jesus, without which, I shudder to think where I'd be.
It’s the model to look to for sure
Excellent analysis, really made me see a lot I never saw before in the movie.
Thanks, I feel like I’m doing my job as a writer when people tell me that.
I recently read The Screwtape Letters (read all about it: https://alexanderkaplan.substack.com/p/reading-the-screwtape-letters-is) and one of the most striking passages on how to make a man miserable is about time:
"[The demands of life] anger him because he regards his time as his own and feels that it is being stolen. You must therefore zealously guard in his mind the curious assumption ‘My time is my own’. Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours. Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of this property which he has to make over to his employers, and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties. But what he must never be permitted to doubt is that the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright."
I think about this stuff so much I've got a running list all the art I've ever encountered about the loss of free time. (The very best might be The Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last.") I never thought The Shining belonged on the list: you've definitely convinced me it does!
One last thought: I've hated Freud ever since I was forced to take him seriously as an English major. The one concept I always found interesting, though, was that of "the uncanny"--and it turns out it's the one concept he stole from an earlier thinker, lol.
I read Screwtape earlier this year. Lewis was someone who absolutely "got it."
Also I did not know Freud stole the concept of "Uncanny." Interesting!
Nice essay. Doctor Sleep definitely doesn't get the love it deserves. If you're in any way a fan of The Shining, you need to see it. The whole last act is literally at the same hotel!
It’s one of the few legacy sequels of the last 10 years that justifies its existence and isn’t just a crappy movie wearing a great movie’s skin suit. I got chills when the camera started moving through the mountains and the Shining theme kicked in. Flanagan is a fantastic director.
Indeed. And I agree on Flanagan. The scariest thing I've watched in any format over the last ten years was the Hill House miniseries on Netflix. The one about the vampires on the island was good, too.
I've never watched the Shining, not a Stephen King fan, but this was an excellent read.
Thank you. It's a great movie, I'd highly recommend it. Great time of the year to watch it too.