'Room 237' [VIDEO]: Rodney Ascher Documentary Takes on 'The Shining' Theories, Hidden Meanings and Questions 33 Years Later
A new documentary by Rodney Ascher, Room 237, examines the many theories and supposed hidden meanings behind the Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining. Starring Jack Nicholson as a caretaker of the Overlook Hotel who goes mad and terrorizes his wife and son, countless fans cannot seem to get their minds off of what certain things really meant in the film. This is where Room 237 comes in, exploring these theories to an incredible detail that comes off as "hilariously esoteric" at times but mainly just fascinating.
"The bulk of this deep, deep symbolic analysis of the movie was just happening in the last couple of years," Ascher told TheWrap. "I think it's because on the internet people can share their ideas much easier than they have before and be inspired by reading what one person says to do their own stuff. The ability to watch the movie a frame at a time on your desktop and the ability to share what you discovered, that's really a new phenomenon."
Here is an excerpt of The Hollywood Reporter's review of the film:
"Director Rodney Ascher divides his "inquiry" into nine parts, the first of which builds a case, based on the prominent display of Calumet baking soda can in the film and the fact that the Timberline Lodge was built on Indian burial grounds, that The Shining is actually about the genocide of Native Americans and, in a broader sense, the Holocaust. The latter speculation stems from the fact that the typewriterJack Nicholson uses is a German brand and because a prominently featured sports jersey bears the number 42, the year the final solution was implemented."
Throughout the film, there is no distinct narrator. Numerous voices are heard, jumping in to introduce or explain certain Kubrickian motifs that make the film more than just a horror movie.
Room 237 opens today, March 29th in New York City.