Ever wondered if Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining was anything more than just a scary movie, and that they were there hidden meanings lurking within its frames? Well, Room 237 does just that.
Director Rodney Ascher takes nine segments of Kubrick’s film adaptation of the Stephen King novel and lets five über-fans present their radical theories - decoding the hidden symbols and messages that have been ‘purposely’ buried in the film by the notoriously meticulous director. The results are… bonkers, to say the least.
Whether you end up convinced that Kubrick was actually making a holocaust film disguised as a horror, commenting on the genocide of Native American Indians, or apologising for taking part in the faking of the 1969 Moon landings, is neither here or there because this film is so much fun to watch.
Some of the ideas are straight out of a media studies course in semiotics (I remember those, thank you John Fiske), some are downright ridiculous, and others are quite convincing – especially you are presented with the 'evidence'. But, in the end, this playful deconstruction just makes me want to revisit Kubrick’s chilling masterpiece. Then again, it could be one very elaborate subliminal hoax to get me to do just that?
One other mention is the funky soundtrack by composers Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson, which so deserves a stand-alone release. For a sample (click here) to hear the haunting end titles.
You can also check out the official US website (click here) or discuss the movie on the official US Facebook page (click here).
***WIN ROOM 237 PRIZES*** To celebrate the arrival of Room 237 on DVD, we’ve got our hands on the collectable film poster, signed by director Rodney Ascher and producer Tim Kirk, and three copies of the DVD, to give away. Click here to find out how.
Released on DVD 1 April 2013 from Metrodome
