Room 237

2013 • 103 minutes

About this movie

After the box office failure of Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick decided to embark on a project that might have more commercial appeal. The Shining, Stephen King's biggest critical and commercial success yet, seemed like a perfect vehicle. After an arduous production, Kubrick's film received a wide release in the summer of 1980; the reviews were mixed, but the box office, after a slow start, eventually picked up. End of story? Hardly. In the 30 years since the film's release, a considerable cult of Shining devotees has emerged, fans who claim to have decoded the film's secret messages addressing everything from the genocide of Native Americans to a range of government conspiracies. Rodney Ascher's wry and provocative Room 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with cultists and scholars, creating a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of Kubrick's still-controversial classic.

Ratings and reviews

This film sets the visuals of the original film against audio recordings of a handful of individuals who each have elaborate (and often thinly-stretched) theories about the "real meaning" of Kubrick's 'The Shining'. It is interesting to see many of the details that they point out, but the leaps made to justify their theories are often outlandish to say the least. This is an enjoyable film, if not about the real meaning of the original film, than about the obsession of its most ardent fans.

I was really disappointed with this documentary. Rather than telling us about the Shining, it really is just a collection of conspiracy theories ranging from the moon landing, the holocaust, genocide of the Native Americans, and several other ideas. The only thing I liked about the movie was some of the little things I missed. All the conspiracy theories just take away from the art of the film. Someone needs to do another documentary that actually covers the movie and not various opinions on what they think the movie was really about.

The visuals from The Shining and other films is the only reason I give this two stars. If Kubrick was alive, he'd be laughing at the absolutely absurd symbolism these interviewees have dreamt up. While Kubrick likely did include some symbolism in the film, most of the examples the interviewees provide are so far fetched that they just sound like conspiracy theory lunatics. It got so bad towards the end of the film, that I couldn't watch anymore. It was like listening to potheads or drunks describe their theories about the meaning of life.