Haunted Blueprints: Unveiling the overlook hotel’s role as the most dynamic character in “The Shining”
Written by Leena Demers, McGill University
Edited by Rebecca Bennett
Introduction
The Shining, a 1980 horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, unfolds in the isolated Colorado Rockies within the enigmatic confines of the Overlook Hotel.[1] Jack Torrance and his family become the winter caretakers of the remote hotel during its off-season, which serves as the backdrop for Jack's descent into madness. The hotel seemingly possesses a dark mind of its own, with several nods to its sinister nature throughout the film: its construction in 1907 on an “Indian burial ground,” the gruesome tale of former caretaker Charles Grady, (who murdered his family a decade earlier), a warning from head cook Dick Hallorann about a residual “shine” left by past dark events, and the ominous directive to avoid Room 237 at all costs. Yet, this dark history merely scratches the surface of the evils lurking within the Overlook Hotel. These elements position the Overlook Hotel as a central subject of investigation, inviting an exploration of how its architecture impacts the bodies and psyches of the Torrance family as well as the film's audience.
The architectural design of the Overlook Hotel transcends its physical form, emerging as a dynamic character with agency and a transformative role in the film’s narrative. Serving as a symbolic manifestation of psychological and supernatural forces, the hotel influences the characters’ perceptions and behaviors, ultimately propelling their descent into madness. As the hotel's blueprint defies architectural norms by transforming in subtle ways throughout the plot, it evolves into a dynamic character, exerting its influence on the Torrance family and blurring the boundaries between reality and the supernatural. The hotel’s fragmented qualities yield immense psychological implications for the film’s characters and viewers alike. The Overlook Hotel occupies a unique position in film and architectural theory, pioneering a distinct field of study known as living architecture.[2] This concept refers to structures that take on characteristics of a living character, shaped by paranormal activity resulting from deaths or other egregious events within their confines. The Overlook Hotel exemplifies this idea through its capacity to evolve throughout the film, granting it agency akin to a character and challenging conventional perceptions of architecture as static and inanimate.
The Overlook Hotel as a Dynamic Character
The Overlook Hotel transcends the limitations of its physical form to become a dynamic character within The Shining. As the storyline progresses, the hotel's presence evolves, leaving both characters and viewers unsettled and underscoring its pivotal role in shaping the film's haunting atmosphere and narrative trajectory.
There are inherent discrepancies within the Overlook Hotel’s blueprints and interior configurations, due to the fact that it is a film set. Yet, these inconsistencies contribute to a supernatural atmosphere that enhances the psychological impact on both viewers and characters within the film. These subtle changes in the hotel's layout lead viewers and characters alike to perceive the Overlook Hotel as a dynamic character, evolving alongside the unfolding plot as its layout shifts throughout the film. This dissonance between the Overlook Hotel as a movie set with inherent discrepancies and the viewers' perception of the actualized Overlook Hotel underscores Kubrick's transformation of architecture into an impossible space that can never truly be comprehensible to viewers. As noted by architectural scholar Kevin Mcloed, this adds a layer of haunting to the architectural anomaly of the Overlook Hotel.[3] Structurally illogical shifts in the hotel’s appearance perpetuate a sense of unease and confusion among viewers, reinforcing the notion of the Overlook Hotel as a living, dynamic character within the film.
Throughout the film, the Overlook Hotel evolves from a passive structure to a malevolent entity that induces madness, offering glimpses of future scenarios, past events, and gruesome imagery to its guests. For instance, early in the film Danny bikes around the hotel and encounters the two dead Grady girls (fig. 1). Later, flash clips show the hotel's elevator doors open, releasing a torrent of blood.[4] Through this active relationship with the characters and viewers, the Overlook Hotel transcends its role as an inanimate structure, blurring the boundaries between reality and the supernatural. The hotel manipulates visitors without their awareness, leaving a profound psychological impact on all who engage with it, arguably making the Overlook Hotel more dynamic than any of the human characters within the film.
Figure 1. “The hallway,” Stanley Kubrick, The Shining, 1980.
Film expert and critic Anthony Macklin reinforces this argument in his analysis, highlighting viewers' confusion or dissatisfaction with The Shining due to their struggle to grasp Kubrick's portrayal of the Overlook Hotel as a living character. As a horror film, The Shining allows the Overlook Hotel to embody these unsettling characteristics, leaving viewers with a lingering sense of unease and fear as they attempt to comprehend the deeply rooted horror within the hotel. Horror as a genre often explores dark and disturbing subject matter - both fictional and non-fictional - that delves into concepts beyond easy actualization.[5] In the case of the Overlook Hotel, its impossible layout contributes to a haunting quality that aligns with the notion of architecture taking on living characteristics. While this concept may initially seem difficult to grasp, given that architecture traditionally lacks the qualities of a living being, Macklin asserts that the Overlook Hotel transcends its static, object-like nature to exert a profound psychological influence on Jack Torrance. By infiltrating his psyche and trapping him within its labyrinthine corridors, the hotel becomes instrumental in sealing Jack’s fate and symbolizing his descent into madness.[6] Throughout the film, the Overlook Hotel undergoes a metamorphosis, ultimately capturing Jack and permanently assimilating him into its essence. This vividly illustrates the culmination of the hotel's agency, as it evolves into a dynamic character in its own right. Much like any character in a narrative, the Overlook’s shifting, perplexing layout epitomizes its haunted nature. This reaches its zenith when it succeeds in imprisoning Jack’s essence within its walls, further reinforcing its living attributes as a structure.
Visual Analysis of Overlook Hotel Set
Despite some misconceptions, the Overlook is not an actual hotel nestled in the Colorado landscape; rather, it is a meticulously crafted set located at Elstree Studio in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England. Constructed between May 1978 and July 1979 by production designer Roy Walker, The Overlook Hotel holds the distinction of being the largest movie set erected during that era.[7] Walker spent a year in the USA meticulously documenting hundreds of lodges and hotels, a process crucial for envisioning the final design of the Overlook Hotel.[8]
The Overlook Hotel is ingeniously designed to mimic a desolate mountain retreat in the Colorado Rockies. Situated in a fictional, isolated location, the set's grand scale contrasts sharply with the natural mountainous backdrop, creating an unsettling ambiance heightened by the absence of other nearby structures and people. The hotel, although an artificial construction, achieves a seamless integration with its eerie surroundings, amplifying the film's atmosphere.
Figure 2. “The Overlook Hotel Facade,” Stanley Kubrick, The Shining, 1980.
The design of the Overlook Hotel's façade is inspired by the real Timberline Lodge located in Oregon, USA (fig. 2).[9] While the aerial shots showcasing the hotel exterior are authentic footage of the Oregon setting, the façade scenes in The Shining, where characters interact with the structure, feature a reconstructed set. The film's depiction of the Overlook Hotel's exterior is a precise recreation of the Timberline Lodge. However, a discerning eye may notice subtle deviations in scenes where the reconstructed façade comes into play, including differences in the number of stories, window placements, and the arrangement of shrubbery that further alludes to its haunted (living) nature as features of the hotel shift throughout the film.
The fate of the Overlook Hotel’s set mirrors its fictional ghostliness. After the set went up in flames in 1979 before the end of production and later was completely demolished in 1989 with the sale of Elstree Studios to Tesco, this once-immersive set is no longer accessible.[10] Its demise adds a layer of mystique to the structure, as the tangible link to its artificial reality vanishes into cinematic history.
An essential element of the Overlook Hotel's agency in the film lies in its constantly shifting attributes, including changes in its architectural display. A notable instance of this occurs in the disparity between the set and aerial shots of the structure's exterior façade (fig. 2). In these aerial shots of the actual Timberline Hotel, the façade presents itself as a four-story structure configured in an arrow-like shape. Where the asymmetrical façade meets in the center serves as the main entrance. This main entrance is adorned with a stone archway. Above this stone corridor sits a terrace with another entrance into the hotel; a pedimented dormer sits above this with a large window in the center. The roof, made of slate shingles, contrasts with the wooden and stone elements comprising the rest of the façade. Windows punctuate each story, with the top floor windows protruding to make more pedimented dormers sparingly distributed and marked by gable roofs. Three fireplace vents protrude from the roof, and a weathervane with a rooster graces the apex of the main entrance's roof. To the left of the façade, a protruding corridor extends from the main body of the structure, while the outermost right exterior wall of the hotel angles at 45°, introducing an additional layer of asymmetry to the overall architectural composition.
In the aerial shot, an expansive parking lot unfolds before the hotel's façade, perched precariously on a cliff's edge. A mountain peak frames the backdrop, underscoring the hotel's secluded setting. This perspective, unique to the Timberline Lodge, is inconsistent with the façade Kubrick crafted for filming. The director's version introduces a creative divergence from the aerial view, prompting viewers to question the angle and continuity of the hotel's depiction. Notably, Kubrick situates the maze (fig. 3), a central element in the film, at the forefront of the parking area. This, too, is a stark deviation from the cliff drops seen in aerial shots featuring the actual Timberline Lodge.
Figure 3. “The Maze,” Stanley Kubrick, The Shining, 1980.
These disparities between the film set and the actual lodge spark curiosity about the perspective presented. However, through my own detailed comparisons, I uncovered and fully grasped the extent of these discrepancies, making this insight uniquely my own. Kubrick's set includes modifications such as the transformation of window panel designs from the lodge's two- over-two to a twelve-over-twelve pattern in the film. Moreover, the entrance used in the movie is reversed compared to the real lodge and features a canopy for vehicles, an element absent in aerial footage of the Timberline. The set is further distinguished by an abundance of shrubbery, presumably to mask discrepancies with the actual site and to diminish the set's artificiality. Pathways that appear before the hotel on the set are also missing from the aerial views.
Additionally, the absence of the mountain backdrop in any angle of Kubrick's set further distorts the viewer's orientation, making it challenging to reconcile the film's location with the actual lodge. Despite these differences, many of the set's materials closely mimic those of the original hotel, maintaining a semblance of authenticity. This meticulous attention to detail in Kubrick's recreation invites a deeper contemplation of the architectural and cinematic interplay at work in portraying the Overlook Hotel.
The Overlook Hotel’s Agency and Haunted Nature
Buildings are inherently intertwined with the human experience, designed to engage with our anatomy and evoke the five senses, thus functioning as a reflection of humanity itself. While architecture breathes life into structures, it also imbues them with a sense of intimacy, as they become impressions of the bodies that interact with them. However, in The Shining, the Overlook Hotel transcends its role as a mere architectural construct and is portrayed as a living character in its own right. The haunted nature of the Overlook Hotel is integral to its portrayal as a living character within the film. Ghostly apparitions haunt the servants' quarters, the Gold Ballroom, and main entrance, enhancing the sinister aura stemming from its construction on a Native American burial ground, and reports of cannibalistic attacks in the area. Though subtle, these supernatural elements manifest in changes in background details, such as shifting chair, wall and room configurations, and the appearance of ghosts despite the absence of other occupants besides the Torrance family. These haunting features rooted in the hotel’s extensive and shadowy history imbue the Overlook Hotel with eerie, human-like characteristics. This grants the hotel depth and dynamism, shaping its identity as a character with a compelling narrative.[11]
Figure 4. “Room 237,” Stanley Kubrick, The Shining, 1980.
The haunted house trope is a distinctive phenomenon in both architecture and film, as it breathes life into an otherwise inanimate object - the building itself - through an ominous history.[12] The haunting of a haunted house cannot be separated from the house as these hauntings are grounded in these locations and typically do not extend beyond the confines of these structures.[13] Steeped in the memories of their deceased inhabitants, haunted houses evoke a profound sense of unease and fear in those who encounter them. In The Shining, the Overlook Hotel embodies the classic haunted house archetype as the Torrance family is repeatedly exposed to supernatural occurrences reflecting the hotel’s eerie history. In The Shining, the haunting phenomena are deeply intertwined with the Overlook Hotel's essence. Room 237 (fig. 4) serves as a focal point for supernatural occurrences, revealing it as the epicenter of the hotel’s malevolent presence, where ghostly entities manifest physically and interact directly with characters like Jack and his son, Danny. Even Dick Hallorann, a character attuned to the hotel's sinister nature, issues a stern warning to Danny against entering Room 237, recognizing it as the heart of the hotel's haunting.
The supernatural phenomena experienced by each character contribute to the Overlook Hotel's haunting legacy, reinforcing the idea that it functions as a living character with motives - such as trapping Jack - imbuing it with the complexity of a human being. Viewers can deduce that the apparitions, such as the ghostly butler and bartender, are strategically placed to tempt Jack into becoming a permanent fixture of the hotel, thus perpetuating its haunted nature and living characteristics. Danny, endowed with psychic abilities described as “shining” in the film, perceives past atrocities and potential future events at the Overlook, aiding him in navigating its ominous depths and escaping its grasp. Wendy, although initially skeptical of the hotel's hauntings, becomes increasingly aware of its presence as she encounters ghostly manifestations in the servants' quarters and witnesses unsettling occurrences. Film scholar Dylan Trigg posits that the ghosts depicted in the film are projections of Jack's psyche, animating the hotel in a new, unsettling manner separate from the hotel itself.[14] However, this explanation fails to fully account for the ghostly encounters experienced by both Wendy and Danny within the hotel's confines, which contribute to its haunted reputation and reinforce its role as a living character in the film, extending beyond just Jack's experiences. Further departing from Trigg's argument, I assert that viewers too are left with a sense of haunting, as they observe through Kubrick's lens the supernatural events unfolding within the hotel. Scenes such as the elevator doors oozing blood or the appearances of the ghostly twins underscore the hotel's haunted nature, leaving an indelible impression not only on the Torrance family but also on the viewers themselves. These ghosts were once guests of the hotel who met its tragic end, and now they bring the corridors of the Overlook Hotel to life. Therefore, these spectral entities serve as extensions of the hotel itself, reinforcing the argument that the Overlook is a living character seeking to evolve by enveloping the Torrance family within its confines.
The Overlook Hotel’s Role in the Narrative
Despite our conventional understanding of architecture's role in shaping psychological mindsets, the agency of the Overlook Hotel often goes overlooked. Its ability to affect those within it without their awareness underscores the transformative power of architecture. As a medium, film offers a unique lens through which to explore the transformative power of architectural spaces, exemplified by the Overlook Hotel’s dynamic role as a character within the narrative.
My engagement with this architectural phenomenon is entirely vicarious—mediated by Kubrick's cinematic portrayal of the space. The use of the Steadicam perspective enables viewers to immerse themselves in the film's narrative, experiencing events through the characters' eyes. This technique enhances the psychological impact of the Overlook Hotel, as it exerts a similar influence on both the characters and the audience, blurring the boundaries between viewer and character.[15] Hence, through Kubrick's deliberate utilization of the Steadicam, the agency exerted by the hotel onto the characters is likewise internalized by the viewer.
Film is an inherently biased medium, as directors manipulate filmed content to articulate a specific narrative. Film scholar Muhammad Arsal Abbas emphasizes that film is intrinsically linked with a particular emotional ambiance to convey specific narratives of the plot.[16] In the case of the Overlook Hotel, Kubrick employs eerie imagery such as shifting walls, blood oozing from elevators, and ghostly figures, to elevate the hotel from static structure to living entity. Kubrick's use of supernatural activity, captured on his Steadicam camera, portrays the hotel as an evolving character with agency, evident in its shifting appearance throughout the film.[17]
Conclusion
This analysis of the Overlook Hotel's role as a dynamic character within Stanley Kubrick's The Shining unveils a complex interplay between architecture, narrative, the horror genre and cinematic technique. The meticulous design of the hotel imbues the hotel with agency and a transformative presence that permeates the narrative. As a manifestation of psychological and supernatural forces, the hotel exerts a profound influence on the characters' perceptions, behaviors, and descent into madness. Kubrick's deliberate use of the Steadicam perspective further blurs the boundaries between viewer and character, allowing audiences to vicariously experience the hotel’s psychological impact. The hotel's evolution throughout the film, marked by subtle yet significant changes in its architecture, underscores its dynamic nature as a living character within the narrative that is brought to life within the horror genre. By employing eerie imagery and supernatural activity captured through the Steadicam lens, Kubrick crafts an atmosphere that transcends the hotel’s physicality, portraying it as an evolving entity with agency. This portrayal challenges conventional perceptions of architecture and narrative structure, inviting viewers to contemplate the transformative power of architectural spaces within the cinematic realm. In essence, the Overlook Hotel emerges not only as a setting but as a pivotal character in its own right, shaping the haunting atmosphere and narrative trajectory of The Shining in profound and unsettling ways.
Endnotes
[1] The Shining, Directed by Stanley Kubrick (Elstree Studios London), 146 minutes.
[2] Dylan Trigg, “Archaeologies of Hauntings: Phenomenology and Psychoanalysis in The Shining,” in Studies in the Horror Film: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining ed. Danel Olson (Centipede Press, 2015), 281.
[3] Kevin Mcloed, “Corridor Syntax,” in Elements of Architecture: Corridor (Marisilio, 2014), 99.
[4] The Shining, Directed by Stanley Kubrick (Elstree Studios London), 146 minutes.
[5] Rick Worland, The Horror Film: An Introduction. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2024), 14.
[6] Anthony F. Macklin, “Understanding Kubrick,” Journal of Popular Film and Television 9, no. 2 (July 1981): 93.
[7] Jesús Lazcano López, “The Filmic Space of the Overlook Hotel in the Shining Through the Sets,” Cuadernos de Proyectos Arquitectónicos, no. 11 (December 27, 2021): 104.
[8] López, “The Filmic Space of the Overlook Hotel,” 103.
[9] Geoffrey McNab, “‘Making the Shining Was Hell’: How Tormented Stars, Kubrick’s Temper and Box-Office Disaster Led to a Classic,” The Independent, May 22, 2020, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-shining-film-kubrick-40-anniversary-horror-jack-nicholson-making-of-a9525881.html.
[10] “Kubrick at Elstree: The Fire That Almost Axed the Shining,” BBC Arts, October 3, 2014, Video, 3 min., 14 sec. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027vf9p.
[11] Barry Curtis, “The Haunted House,” in Studies in the Horror Film: Stanley Kubrick’s, ed. Danel Olson (Centipede Press, 2015), 49.
[12] Curtis, “The Haunted House,” 39.
[13] Curtis, “The Haunted House,” 44.
[14] Trigg, “Archaeologies of Hauntings,” 279.
[15] López, “The Filmic Space of the Overlook Hotel,” 103.
[16] Abbas, Arsal. Architecture and Film, 2019, 13.
[17] Abbas, Architecture and Film, 2019, 11.