Movies

Before ‘The Shining:’ The Movies that Inspired Kubrick

The influences of one of horror’s most influential films.
By  · Published on July 18th, 2017

In the nearly 40 years since its release, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining has become one of the most iconic and thus one of the most referenced horror films ever made. Everything from The Simpsons to Duke Nukem contains references to The Shining, and I’m even willing to bet the majority of folks under 25 think “Here’s Johnny!” is original to the film.

But the thing is, for as many references as The Shining has spawned, it was made up of an equal number of references to previous films like Diabolique, Halloween, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Repulsion, and several films from the silent era.

In the latest video from Candice Drouet, The Shining has been paired with these films that came before it in which hints of inspiration can be recognized. Kubrick was first and foremost a student of film, so it shouldn’t be a big surprise there are so many mimicked moments in The Shining, but what is surprising and indeed masterful is how Kubrick tied these moments together and forged them into something wholly unique.

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