Kubrick's Labyrinth: The Psychology of The Shining

by Matthew Merced

Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining is generally acknowledged to be a profoundly psychological film. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive, competent psychological analysis. Kubrick’s Labyrinth, written by a clinical psychologist, fills this gap and makes several distinctive contributions. Highly detailed case formulations of the film’s main characters explain how psychological disorders generate the apparent supernatural phenomena that appear in the film. Next, it is demonstrated how Kubrick used filmmaking techniques and narrative content to influence the psychology of viewers, which contributes to the propensity for highly speculative interpretations. Finally, guidelines are provided for how to transform the film’s style and content into coherent interpretations that are built on firm evidentiary and logical foundations.

147 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2020

Reviews

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-essential, but for my Shining fixation; meaning it was good enough eh

[Fulgencio Obelmejias · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sober and scholarly film analysis, written from the perspective of a psychologist. Exceptionally thorough and well-researched.

[Mima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can we give this Matthew guy all the awards