The Shining (Mise-en-scene)

 The Shining is a psychological horror masterpiece directed by Stanley Kubrick. One could argue that Jack is driven insane thanks to one specific element and recurring theme in the film, work. Work appears in them film at the very beginning, when jack is accepting the job as caretaker of the hotel for the winter, the office is shown as a confines space, which contrast with the open workspace that jack is seen in later in the film. The writers block and constant presence of the typewriter could be what has driven jack insane.

Stanley Kubrick is a master of Mise-en-scene, known for his meticulous and obsessive placement of just about everything in a specific shot, making sure everything contributes towards the films greater themes. The lonliness and barren nature of the hotel is seen in many scenes, in many shots of the hallways, there are only a few decorations present, the rug and possible one table. Everything in the hotel is orderly but in a way that suggests that humans do not reside in it, everything look unused and it basically looks abandoned even for a hotel that has 3 people living in it. 

AS a horror movie, the shining falls short. The shining should not be considered a great example of the horror genre, it lacks the jump scares and dramatic irony that is commonplace in many great horror movies. The movie is, instead a psychological thriller, it calls upon the viewer to decipher many aspects of the movie that are not told to the viewer. These include the reasoning behind jack’s madness and Jack’s relationship to the hotel especially after the picture reveal at the end.