Understanding The Shining? What Is There to Understand?
Jack. Danny. The Spirit. A little glass of ghost bourbon. Let’s put the pieces together.
Why The Shining? Why me? Why this obsessive, frame-by-frame analysis of Kubrick’s most haunted film?
This is the story behind my video series Understanding The Shining, what drives it, and why it refuses to let me go. It starts with Jack. And Danny. And a glass of Jack Daniels poured by a ghost.
→ Watch the video above and follow me deeper into the Overlook’s labyrinth here.
Understanding The Shining: Why I Can’t Stop Watching
What does Jack Daniels, a haunted hotel, and the father–son “trinity” have to do with Kubrick’s most infamous film? I’ve been trying to figure that out—one frame at a time.
Hi again! It’s me, Miss M—and I’m finally ready to write about the big project I’ve been obsessing over: my long-running YouTube series, Understanding The Shining, where I’ve been going through Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining with a fine-toothed comb and a microscope.
I’ve included the first video in the playlist so you can dive in if you haven’t already. As I write this, I’m 22 episodes in. And after quite a while away—for both professional and personal reasons—I’ve decided it’s time to saddle up again. I know there’s still so much more to uncover in this movie.
Whether you’ve followed my work from the beginning or you’re just discovering it, you might be wondering:
Why does she do it?
Why spend so much time going over virtually every moment of this film?
What’s the point?
The answer?
I don’t know. I just don’t know. I ask myself these questions almost daily.
Why do I do what I do?
Do I have a few screws loose?
Why can’t I stop?
And I still haven’t found a satisfactory answer.
What I do believe is that this process—this obsessive analysis—reveals deeper truths. Not just about The Shining, or Kubrick’s intentions, but about art itself. Every time I revisit a scene or replay a moment, “red-balling” a frame or digging through dialogue, I find something new. A shift in meaning. A strange detail. A jolt of clarity. An epiphany.
In the most recent episode—#22—I left Jack Torrance mid-conversation with Lloyd, the ghoulish bartender in the Gold Room. Lloyd is pouring Jack a glass of what I call “ghost liquor”—specifically, Jack Daniels bourbon.
Let me use this essay to give you a peek behind the curtain. You’d be surprised where that bottle of Jack Daniels has taken me. Yes, Kubrick chose that brand very deliberately. And I explore some of those reasons in episode 22 of the series.
But here’s the symbolic layer that hit me:
We’ve got Jack Torrance, and Danny Torrance. Jack. Daniels.
And liquor? Often referred to as a spirit.
So there you have it: Jack, Danny, and Spirit.
A Father. A Son. And… well, you see where I’m going.
A trinity.
If you want to know what I really think it means, you’ll have to watch the series. All 22 episodes. Plus a few extras on Kubrick’s other films. Trust me—it’s a journey.
In the upcoming episode (Understanding The Shining, Part 23) or a related breakdown, I’ll go even deeper into the iconography of Jack Daniels, and what it might symbolize in the broader Kubrickian universe. Maybe you can guess the next turn I’ll take—or maybe you can’t.
But there’s only one way to find out.
So go ahead—subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already. Join the ongoing conversation in the comments with the fine folks I like to call my regulars. Or maybe we’ll start the conversation here on Substack too.
Let me know what you think.
Am I on the right track?
Or am I just slap-up-against-the-wall crazy?
You tell me.
Either way, don’t forget to subscribe to this page here on Substack—and to my YouTube channel too. You’ll also find me on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Buy Me a Coffee. All those hours of research are fueled by cup after cup of the good stuff. ☕️
You’ll find all my links—including my Art History playlist on Spotify—right here in my Linktr.ee.
Can’t wait to write to you again next week.
Until then, I’ll bid you all bye-bye.
So… hasta la bye-bye, everybody!
Thats interesting the bottle is the Holy Spirit.
💎🥃💎