Gothic
A genre of literature and film that uses motifs of horror and mystery to create a sense of terror around the history of a place and/or time. Originated in the late 18th and early 19th century, and was associated with the romanticism of Coleridge, Shelley, and Poe, among others.
Shining
The ability to communicate with people and/or spirits on a psychic level, and possibly to see into the future or past. Dick Hallorann explains this ability to Danny early in the film. Dick shared this ability with his grandmother, who called it "shining."
Chase
A scene in which one character pursues another and either reaches or does not reach them in the end. One of cinema's classic types of scenes, made especially popular by Alfred Hitchcock.
Point of View
The perspective of a character through which a viewer can watch action unfold. Often in film, the point of view through which an audience watches the action unfold is disembodied from a physical character, creating a sense of surveillance or dramatic irony. Often abbreviated "POV" when referring to film.
Redrum
The word that Danny sees in his visions and later repeats in the voice of Tony. Backwards, "redrum" spells out "murder," thereby acting as a warning to Danny that comes from his psychic abilities.
Autohypnosis
The act of inducing a hypnotic state in oneself. The doctor who visits Danny in the first chapter of the film diagnoses his episodes as examples of autohypnosis.
Snowcat
A vehicle that uses treads (continuous track) instead of wheels to move through large quantities of snow more easily than a car. This vehicle is the only source of access to and escape from the hotel during the winter, and the means of Wendy and Danny's final escape from Jack.
Cannibalism
The act of humans eating other humans. Danny cheerfully informs his parents that he knows all about cannibalism from TV.
Cabin Fever
A feeling of restlessness or anxiety caused by being cooped up in one room or building for a long period of time; often associated with escalating insanity and violence. Mr. Ullman warns Jack about this danger, as it afflicted Charles Grady to such an extent that he was driven mad and killed his family.
Jet Set
A wealthy, glamorous part of society that can afford to travel often. Mr. Ullman says the Overlook Hotel was a popular destination for the "jet set" when he gives Jack a tour of the hotel.
The Donner Party
A group of pioneers who got stranded in the Sierra Mountains during a bad snowstorm in the late nineteenth century and were supposedly forced to eat each other to survive. This group is mentioned by Wendy and Danny on their way up the mountain to the Overlook.
Steadicam
The then-revolutionary device used by Kubrick's cinematographer to stabilize the camera while moving it freely. This technology enabled Kubrick to create numerous long, continuous, yet mobile shots that would have never been possible without it, many of which changed the face of cinema forever.
Final Girl
A convention of horror films, referring to the woman who is marked from the start of the movie as one who will survive the terrors that the film presents to her. This woman is often less traditionally feminine than others around her and nearly always uses a phallic-shaped object to kill or injure the source of terror near the end of the film.
White Man's Burden
Usually refers to the sense of purpose that motivated the white imperialist colonizers to invade the Americas and Africa in the 1800s and early 1900s. Jack uses these words when drinking with Lloyd in the Gold Room, probably referring to his tendency to relapse from his sobriety, whereas many Native Americans are genetically unable to tolerate liquor.
Doc
A name used by the cartoon character Bugs Bunny as part of the phrase "what's up, Doc?" This is the nickname that Wendy and Jack use for Danny, which Dick Hallorann learns telepathically, causing Wendy confusion.
Tracking Shot
A film term meaning a shot in which the camera follows the action of the scene through a number of disparate spaces or over a great distance. This is accomplished either by a handheld camera, which can produce a shaky camera movement, or by mounting the camera onto a Steadicam or dolly, which create a smooth feel to the camera's movement. This is used repeatedly in the film to follow Danny as he bikes through the various hallways of the hotel.
Theseus and the Minotaur
A Greek myth in which Theseus, who later became an Athenian king, slayed a beast called the Minotaur, which demanded human sacrifices as punishment to Athens for crimes that vary according to different versions of the myth. To slay the monster, Theseus had to navigate a complex maze. In the documentary Room 237, one critic approaches The Shining through the lens of this myth, citing the parallels between the hotel's hedge maze and the Minotaur's maze, and between Jack and the monster.
Double
Refers to clones and copies of something otherwise unique. The theme of the double is everywhere in The Shining, since even Delbert Grady is a kind of double for Charles Grady. The Grady Twins are another example of a "double" image.
Disembodied Camera
A camera whose movement and frame is not motivated by any particular character or action in the film. This appears in The Shining at the very start of the movie, as the camera soars over rivers and winding roads, and at its end, when the camera pushes in towards a photograph on the wall outside the Gold Room even though Jack is dead and his family is long gone from the hotel.
