There are few films in the horror genre — or even the general history of cinema — that have continued to spur the kind of obsession, fascination and discussion decades after its release that Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" has. Indeed, the last few weeks have seen the script pages for the deleted original ending to the movie come to light, while a camera operator went on record about the helicopter shadows in the now classic opening to the movie. But there's oh so much more revealed in the excellent documentary "Room 237," a fascinating look at "The Shining." A new trailer has dropped, and should drum up more excitement for this one.
But here's the thing — in order for director Rodney Ascher to fully delve into the various theories about what "The Shining" really means (everything from a subversive statement on the Holocaust to an allegory on American genocide), he had to use extensive footage from the movie. Now, he didn't officially clear it, and it's being utilized under the banner of fair use, so when it comes to the actual trailer, IFC Midnight have come up with something clever. Riffing on the original teaser trailer for Stanley Kubrick's movie, this one also goes with a text scroll (of critical praise) that eventually ends with buckets of blood. Smart.
"Room 237" opens on March 29th. Read our review here and watch below.