A Gratuitous Exercise in Cinema Woo, Volume 1

Like a dream within a dream within a nightmare . . .

I hope the following gratuitous exercise in cinema woo (and a minimal bit of TV, too) may provide some interesting insights as we explore some deep rabbit holes into the mostly unseen forces that rule this realm along with the human psyche and mass culture, particularly that of the American collective unconscious. Perhaps in the process we can begin to unravel the infinite labyrinth of fear-mongering and trauma-based mind-control we have been subjected to for eons, as if that’s even possible. If nothing else, I have compiled a thoughtful list of some of the most important truth-dropping films (and some cable TV) and hopefully connected them in a mostly logical, sometimes intuitive fashion for further analysis and consideration.

Aside from the obvious connections we find between and among the following films, many further interesting synchronicities will reveal themselves along the way. I further suggest that watching these films, in the recommended order or not, aside from the mere entertainment value, may offer some interesting insights and possible clues to further understanding the nature of our world and so-called reality, such as it is. And in the end, whatever it’s all about, it’s about using this knowledge to deprogram yourself, disconnect from the System as much as possible, strengthen your spiritual armor, and become the best scholar-warrior-sage manifestation of yourself in this illusory and ethereal human realm as your eternal soul continues to grow towards greater enlightenment, hopefully.

All Knowledge, All the Time . . .

(Note: Spoilers abound.)

1. The Shining (1980):

All creepy, winding mountain roads (See Going-To-The-Sun Road) of cinematic woo seem to lead back to The Shining. My father took me to see the Shining when I was 12 years old, so this film holds a special place in my dark little heart. In my opinion The Shining is the penultimate American horror story. The Shining, based on the 1977 novel by Stephen King, stars the iconic creepster, Jack Nicholson, and is produced/directed/co-written by the legendary truth-dropping cinema trickster, Stanley Kubrick. There are just as many theories out there attempting to break down and pinpoint the supposed meaning behind The Shining as there are about the JFK Assassination or even the meaning of life itself, which is undoubtedly a huge truth drop right there. One theory proposes that a significant portion of the film, based on some very subtle clues regarding continuity errors and some rather wonky object displacements among other things, is in fact the horror story that Jack’s mind is conjuring. Another suggests that Jack’s wife suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and that most if not all of the horror that abounds is a product of her psychotic mind.

Jack Torrance is a former teacher, a frustrated writer, a recovering alcoholic, and an abusive father who is hired as the newest winter caretaker to The Overlook Hotel, a historic, luxurious mountain getaway in the Colorado Rockies that shuts down each winter due to severe weather. In the midst of his job interview, the nonchalant Jack is undaunted by the revelation from his new employer that several years ago a former caretaker went berserk, killed his wife and 2 young daughters with an axe, and put a shotgun or rifle to his own head. Jack’s family will be joining him on his newfound seasonal gig: his submissive, affable wife, Wendy, “a confirmed ghost story and horror movie addict,” and young son, Danny, who is psychically gifted and talks to his imaginary friend, Tony, who lives in Danny’s mouth. The cinematic phenomenon of The Shining subtly explores myriad fascinating themes which include: addiction, isolation, the paranormal, the human psyche, psychopathology, sexism, American imperialism, symbology of Native American culture, the destruction of the nuclear family, genocide, and extermination, just to name a few.

Significant associated locations: Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Park. Goose Island, Glacier National Park, Montana. Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon.

Recommended readings: The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann.

The Wolf at the Door: Stanley Kubrick, History and the Holocaust, Geoffrey Cocks.

Geoffrey Cocks; James Diedrick; Glenn Perusek, eds. (2006). Depth of Field: Stanley Kubrick, Film, and the Uses of History (1st ed.). Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press.

Fun facts: Outtakes of the opening panorama shots were later used by Ridley Scott in the ending moments of Bladerunner, original cut, 1982.

Kubrick used Penderecki's The Awakening of Jacob to accompany Jack Torrance's dream of killing his family and Danny's vision of past carnage in the hotel, a piece of music originally associated with the horrors of the Holocaust. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Truth-drop takeaways: Although they may not be what we think, ghosts/demons whether inner or outer manifestations or some combination therein, are probably real. The hidden confessions of Stanley Kubrick, allegedly.

2. Room 237 (2012):

Room 237 is a fascinating documentary directed by Rodney Ascher which focuses on 9 separate aspects of analysis of The Shining from different theorists. These themes include: the cultural assimilation of Native Americans and American imperialism, a theory regarding Kubrick’s alleged cinematic confession of his involvement with fake moon landings, the mythic story of the Minotaur, the Holocaust and others.

Fun facts: At the time of the filming of The Shining, it was believed that the distance from the Earth to the moon was approximately 237, 000 miles.

In Stephen King’s novel, the notoriously haunted room is 217. Supposedly according to one story, Kubrick changed the number at the request of the hotel owners. But which hotel? The Stanley? The Timberline Lodge? The Ahwahnee?

3. Doctor Sleep (2019):

A long-awaited sequel (by some) finally emerged almost 40 years after The Shining. Directed by Mike Flanagan (Absentia, Oculus) Doctor Sleep picks up with the life of young Danny Torrance and Wendy (post-Overlook Hotel trauma and the frozen demise of homicidal daddy Jack back at the creepy maze) who now reside safely in Florida. Young Danny is still haunted by the frequent manifestations of menacing ghosts in the bathtub, and presumably elsewhere. With the help of ghost Dick Halloran, Danny’s Shining mentor and the old Overlook cook, Danny learns to capture and contain these malevolent entities in nifty, little “psychic boxes,” something akin to spirit coffins of the mind.

The sequel also features a disturbing sub-plot whereby young, gifted children (who likewise possess “The Shine” or “The Steam”) are lured away from their families by an enchanting, black-hatted temptress. The poor, unsuspecting things are then tortured and literally eaten up by Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) and her caravan of creepy energy vampires (a cult of psychics known as The True Knot who crave The Steam to elongate their lives). The film flash-forwards to the troubled life of traumatized, grown-up Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) , now an aimless drifter and alcoholic who suppresses his shine with booze and other bad stuff. Eventually, sad Dan ends up in New Hampshire. Troubled Dan eventually lands a steady gig and an attic room in a boarding house with the help of a good Samaritan, his newfound AA sponsor. 8 years later, recovering alcoholic Dan back on his feet becomes a hospice orderly helping the dying to gracefully transition (with the aid of Azzie the death cat) and becomes telepathically aware of a young girl that possesses a powerful Shining. Young Abra has become dangerously psychically entangled with Rose Hat and The True Knot.

Recommended readings: Doctor Sleep (2013), Stephen King.

Not to be confused with Doctor Sleep (Close Your Eyes) (1991) by Nashville author Madison Smartt Bell, also recommended, the story of a cheeky hypnotist, an American expat in London and recovering heroin addict, who becomes entangled in a conspiracy of ruthless mobsters and missing children.

Night People, Paul Sinclair.

Fun facts: Danny Lloyd, who played the original Danny Torrance in The Shining, appeared in a cameo role in Doctor Sleep. Jack Nicholson was invited to make a cameo appearance but declined. (Source: Wikipedia.) In the scene where Dan meets with Dr. John, the office of Dr. John is nearly identical to the office of Overlook manager, Stuart Ullman where Jack was hired as winter caretaker nearly 40 years earlier.

Back at the old Overlook with Abra, Dan encounters a new manifestation of Lloyd the bartender (Henry Thomas) and other things. Dr. Sleep contains many subtle references to Stephen King’s Dark Tower universe (Tet Transit, Ka, Lamerk Industries), other King novels and the stories of other horror masters. Doctor Sleep opens in 1980, the same year The Shining opened in theaters.

Truth drops: Similar to The Shining, energy vampires are real.