Connecting the dots, The Shining bear man and his partner could be stand-ins for Danny and Jack. When Shelley Duvall witnesses the bear giving oral sex to another man, she is confronting the true horror and cruelty of her husbands actions toward her son, animating in front of her eyes as a disturbing vision. The aforementioned Room 237 doc covers this theory and the following video digs even deeper into this Native American genocide interpretation. This video is my attempt to put the record straight. Perhaps the Overlook hotel is merely something of a mental prison for Danny, with his peculiar powers bringing in the consciousnesses of his mother and father in order to process his sexual abuse. Wendy and Danny reunite and leave the hotel in a snowcat, and Jack freezes to death. Here are some of the most obvious clues supporting this theory. He also extended the closing date of the hotel to October 30, to welcome the series of Halloween events. The elevator blood scene first appears as a vision to Danny, and materializes near the end of the film when Wendy is looking for him. This is typed inconsistently throughout , with typos and no punctuations highlighting Jacks own ever-growing trance or unstable mental health over the course. The sequel to The Shining, 2019's Doctor Sleep movie managed to walk a delicate tightrope between adapting King's Shining sequel book and being a follow-up to Kubrick's Shining movie. Coincidence much? Jack comes back and lies to Wendy about finding anyone there and leaves enraged when she asks him to get Danny out of here, blaming her for f*cking up his life. Either way though, it's a haunting moment in The Shining, as the dynamic between the two men is uncomfortable, to say the least. In the novel, Jack manages to fight the hotels possession long enough for him to tell Danny to run for his life. Dannys shine reaches its peak at the Overlook Hotel, which mixed with the hotels spirits and own evil, unleashes some real horrors. Why the bear costume? The sexual abuse theme is even communicated in the making of documentary. Specifically, the spaceship sweater with Apollo 11 written on it, which was the name of the rocket used in the moon landing. All the aforementioned signs, and many more, point to the likelihood that Jack sexually abused Danny, making sense of the childs fragile mental state where he frequently has terrifying visions about the vast hotel. The supposed connection is that Monarch is believed to be the codename for one of the CIAs mind control experiments, though this is mere conjecture. Additionally, lines of dialogue such as white mans burden further support this association. ", Doctor: "Does Tony ever ask you to do things? Observe the thick scrapbook with newspaper cutouts beside the typewriter which is only shown for a scene unlike the novel where Jack continuously uses the scrapbook describing the tragedies that took place at The Overlook, a catalyst for his descent into madness. The hotel was built upon a Native American burial ground and is decorated with various works of Native American art. In addition to beating him, Jack sexually abuses Danny. 'The Shining:' Who is the Man in the Bear Costume? But The Shining bear man does have a disturbing and specific implication. Further evidence includes the cases of Tang in the Overlooks pantry and the otherwise innocuous change from Room 217 in the novel to Room 237 in the film. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round. The video, which was credited to a writer named Jeff Saporito and which had since racked up over half a million views, offered a theory that the appearance of the bear suited guy in the mysterious bear scene of The Shining was a metaphor that lead character Jack Torrance had sexually abused his own son. At one point in the movie, there is an unexplained scene of a man in a bear suit performing a sexual act on another man. Jack then goes after Danny, who runs into the hedge maze all this during a snowstorm. The video was called The Shining Who is the man in the bear costume. Jack calls Danny and makes him sit on his lap while asking him about the Overlook and if he liked it, saying I want you to like it with a weak smile while rubbing Dannys shoulder, emphasizing the control he is inflicting. Many people have asked me about the significance of the number 42 on Dannys T-shirt in the tooth brushing / shining scene. The dog/sexual abuse interpretation hasnt been confirmed by those involved in the film, so its up to each viewer if they accept it or not. To some, the scene may seem insignificant and almost forgettable especially in the midst of Jacks murderous rampage. Theres an evil side to it. Its rumbling overcome by Jacks maddening bellows, who eventually freezes to death. Its more than likely that Kubrick placed this article title in the scene to communicate that the psychiatrists dismissal of Dannys health problem is mistaken. Well, a 102 minutes long documentary titled Room 237 was made focusing only on explaining the events that take place in the movie incorporating multiple perspectives, and yet I think it couldnt come to a totally justified conclusion. As is explained here, there are . Next to the bed is a mirror above a sink and in front of the sink is a stool for the child to stand on, just as he was stood on a stool when brushing his teeth. He also informs Danny about the hotels ability to shine owing to its tragic past from being built on an Indian burial site to the murders, discovered and undiscovered. The Overlook is built on the sacred lands of Native Americans . This documentary is an exhaustive cataloguing of allThe Shining fan theories big and small. Traces of his films can even be seen decades after their release; Interstellar and The Tree of Life (2001 : A Space Odyssey), Trainspotting (A Clockwork Orange), almost every heist movie pays tribute to The Killing, Alice in Wonderland (The Shining) or House of Cards (Eyes Wide Shut). The first thing to note is that in the film the guy is dressed in a bear costume instead of a dog costume. The infamous bear costume scene and the quick view of Jack reading a Playgirl magazine are pointed to as evidence that Dannys abuse goes beyond physical into sexual. The bear symbolizes homosexuality and sexual abuse. At the beginning of the movie, Wendy mentions that Jack once injured Danny's arm, and it's later implied that Danny's imaginary friend, Tony, is . Both of them secretly despise their wives. Were in a golden age of TV writing and development. Of course, the ghost of Grady freeing Jack from the freezer remains hard to explain away, although that doesn't stop some from trying. Copyright 2023 Metaflix Media LLC. Triggered by Dannys psychic abilities, the hotel releases some dangerous supernatural forces that mess with Jacks sanity and the safety of Wendy and Danny. A drunk Jack, in a fit of rage had dislocated Dannys shoulder and this is presented as a possible explanation for Danny to develop a separate personality (Tony). Viewing the figure through an open hotel room door, Wendy sees the person in a bear costume give oral sex to another man lying on a bed initially out of shot. Notice how Ullman even points his finger at the magazine as if informing us of its significance. When she's not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs! We are shown a photograph in the hallway at the end, which is dated July 4,1921 and has Jack smiling with a crowd of people at a party. Ullman shows the Torrances their apartment and Jack, not Wendy, steps forward and peaks into the childs room. In an interview (via EW), executive producer Jan Harlan and screenwriter Diane Johnson both expand on the final scenes of The Shining, including The Shining picture at the end. There seems to be many hints in the film that Wendy is aware of her sons abuse and is covering up and denying the issue. Spiked with sexual innuendo, this conversation holds several clues to the truth behind the relationship between Danny, his father and the imagery of the bear, with many suggesting that the animal is symbolic of Jacks predatory control over his family and sexual abuse of his son. The Shining Explained . But it is clear that there is no Jack Torrance left, his insanity has reached its zenith. A popular theory, and one that has gone very deep into the symbolism of The Shining, says that the film also addresses sexual abuse. Rumor has it Kubrick himself typed those words. Last update on 2023-02-28 / Source: Amazon Affiliates. What she sees when she gets there is a disturbing image of a man in a bear costume performing fellatio on a man in a tuxedo. Find out which other movies made it onto our list of the best horror soundtracks, up next. Some of the interpretations expressed in Room 237 are interesting and hold water. Jack goes to check out the room and finds a naked lady who seduces and begins to kiss him and Jack gives in, only to be taken aback by seeing a decaying old lady with him in the mirror. The Bear Man is the biggest evidence of Dannys sexual abuse. Both Jack and Humbert are writers. The interaction between Tony and Danny takes place with the camera focused on a mirror in the bathroom and the shot composition is similar to the bear man shot later on in the movie. What makes The Shining so special? Video unavailable This video is unavailable Watch on That strange scene with the bear costume, finally explained. "I love it so much, but I was afraid that once we brought him back, it evokes all the images from the original down to the open butt flap of the costume. In the book, the man dressed in a suit is actually Horace Derwent, the mysterious owner of the Overlook Hotel, and the man in the costume (which is a dog in the book) is Roger, a one-time lover of his. There are emotional passages and images and spaces in his films that have an inexplicable power, with a magnetic force that draws you in slowly, mysteriously: the boy's rides on his Big Wheel through the endless corridors of the hotel in 'The Shining'; the monumental silence of outer space in '2001: A Space Odyssey'; the inhuman pace of the first This interpretation suggests that the changing layout of the hotel and moving objects aremetaphorsto indicate that the Torrance family is suffering from hallucinations. In researching the film I have found three thematic interpretations of the bear man scene and I believe Kubrick intended all three of these metaphors as part of the subliminal narrative. the scene really doesnt make sense in the movie and i've never read the book so idk if its explained there? When Ullman and Bill Watson approach Jack in the lobby on Closing Day, Jack is reading a January 1978 issue of Playgirl Magazine. It seems ridiculous on the surface, but Ager's in-depth analysis points to some very compelling evidence of sexual abuse. Stanley Kubrick's iconic Stephen King adaptation is intentionally dense and even nonsensical at times. Kubrick thought topiary animals might be too goofy and cute, but he always liked the idea of a maze." He is unable to put his undivided attention towards detailing while writing the story or thinking about it, since his consciousness pertains to a limit of recollection. The latter is the one that Jack says he saw in the newspaper (and the one who killed his family in the hotel), and thus the reincarnation of Delbert Grady. Its not much of a marriage. Because what we really see are two different versions. Most recently, Pennywise was portrayed byBill Skarsgardin Demons, ghosts, and serial killers all make for frightening movie subjects. The famously paused bear suit scene in The Shining, a horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1980, has become one of the most iconic and memorable moments in cinematic history in . The bear man appears to be giving felatio to the man on the bed, just as the dog man in the book was carrying out a sexual submission role with his partner. ew films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks, a film that can be definitively explained? Jack hadnt slida single drop of liquor for the past 5 months, a vow out of guilt. And Kubrick all but disregarded the novel when making the film. Is The Shining a film that can be definitively explained? Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings. The aforementioned sequel, Doctor Sleep, got a cinematic adaptation that serves as both a sequel to The Shining novel and Kubricks film, in a way. He also made a brief appearance in one of the bizarre " WTF ?" scenes in the 1980 adaptation of The Shining by director Stanley Kubrick. This makes sense when going back to his conversation with Grady in the bathroom, where the butler tells Jack that he has always been the caretaker. It also fits with the role of both Grady characters mentioned in the film: the past caretaker and the ghost. Whilst a framed picture of two bears can be seen hanging above Dannys bed at the start of the film, the most obvious reference to the terrifying animals can be seen when the boy is speaking to the psychiatrist after he faints in the bathroom. Roger in his costume, jumping, running, barking, howling, and absolutely humiliating himself in front of an assortment of celebrators. Before we get into The Shining fan theories, its important to acknowledge the source material. You dont know Jack and neither do I. The open patch on the bear mans behind in the film simply adds to the sexual emphasis. That being said, The Shining bear didn't appear in the sequel. I dont go for number interpretations generally, but here Ill make an exception. But there was always one particular scene in the movie that left me with an unsettling feeling: the bear man scene. Its actually quite simple. But some take the theory farther and interpret the film as a representation of sexual abuse. He might have had his anger under control for a while before taking the job, but he went back to it there. Supporting this theory are the way Danny/Theseus overcomes Jack/the minotaur which parallel each other to a certain degree but not explicitly. I've never read the book. We see this relationship between Vitali and Danny when shooting the scene of Danny looking for a hiding space. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Although only 13 seconds, this scene was an eerie moment that is enough to disturb viewers and keep them questioning even 40 years after the film has been released. One might expect that explaining The Shining could be done by reading the original novel written by Stephen King. Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. In this interview, Stephen King supports the notion that the Overlook Hotel could represent hell. This broader theory became directly connected to The Shining as Kubricks subtle way of validating the claims. contain their own pieces of unique information. Who is the man in the bear costume in "The Shining"? In the close up of Danny we see that his pillow has a teddy bear face on it. These observations could easily be interpreted as evidence that Wendy has also had an incestuous relationship with Danny, but my guess is the older woman relationship refers to the woman in room 237, who we know is simply a dream manifestation of Jack. This was a controversial essay claiming that the medical professions have a tendency to mistakenly label physical health conditions as manifestations of psychological problems. Vivian Kubrick explains in the commentary that James Mason was acting in a local theatre, and so Kubrick gave him an invitation. ", Related: What Jack Nicholson Was Really Like Filming The Shining. In this post, well break down the six biggest theories on. The most disturbing aspect of the movie and something that creeped me out after thinking about it (I am an avid horror movie fan but this aspect is just terrifying). The point of Horace's request was cruelty. The maze in The Shining went over better than the hedge animals would've in Kubrick's vision. On its own, this again seems more like a tiny error rather than an intentional clue. The movie doesn't expressly explain the identity of the man, but in the book, Stephen King provides the answer. Realizing that he is leaving footprints in the snow, Danny carefully maneuvers backwards over his own . Of course, there are some more convincing (and coherent) than others, but The Shining is, at its core, a story about violence and abuse and how these are often cyclical. Tony disapproves of the Torrances decision to move to The Overlook and in a very intriguing scene, Danny is shown visions of the consequences ranging from a flood of red liquid gushing out from elevators, two identical young girls and a totaled image of himself. There is also Jack and Danny's conversation in the apartment suite with Danny on Jack's lap. There are emotional passages and images and spaces in his films that have an inexplicable power, with a magnetic force that draws you in slowly, mysteriously: the boys rides on his Big Wheel through the endless corridors of the hotel in The Shining; the monumental silence of outer space in 2001: A Space Odyssey; the inhuman pace of the first half of Full Metal Jacket, building up to its logical, murderous conclusion; the grandeur of the war room in Dr. The Shining bear is no different, and, if Rob Ager's theory is correct, could explain a much darker nature to the relationship between Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) and his father, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson). She clutches a knife and slowly ascends up stairs. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. The Shining - (Clip) Man in Bear Suit SwordfromtheStone 101 subscribers Subscribe 2.7K Share Save 557K views 14 years ago This is a not often seen clip from Stanley Kubricks'The Shining. In the psychiatrist scene Danny lays on the bed with his jeans removed and his hands curiously covering his groin area, just as Jack did in the fatherly love scene. Also introduced is an invisible character Tony, who apparently lives inside Dannys mouth. The second half brings out the worst in Jack, his actions replicating that of Gradys and also notice the scrapbook placed beside the typewriter. Lets compare the two characters in more detail. Ultimately, it's all speculative, but Ager's cogent proof unravels the mystery of the bear man all the same. This gives you an inkling of the absurd lengths Kubrick will go to make a tiny subliminal detail that will go unnoticed by almost everyone watching the picture. She was also a contributor for FanSided's BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. The horrific happenings, the fact that the Torrance family is trapped, and the suggestion that Jack has been in the hotel for decades support The Shining analysis that the Overlook represents hell. Shrouded in strange mystery, puzzling cinephiles for decades, one of the films darkest secrets is the curious meaning behind the bear who appears to Shelley Duvalls Wendy as she is desperately escaping Jacks grasp. He came as the caretaker, but this hotel had its own guardians - who'd been there a long time. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. It seems that commitment to family is a problem for all of these males. While he may be one of the weirdest Overlook Hotel ghosts in the movie, Mike Flanagan decided to keep all the ghosts that would've stuck with Danny the most, and that wasn't the bear man. There are lots of parallels going on here. After being freed from the kitchen pantry by Gradys ghost, Jack (whose sanity was already shattered by that point) goes after Wendy and Danny, axe in hand. Writing and development a maze. and interpret the film: the past caretaker and the following video even... 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