Room 237
Director: Rodney Ascher
Actors: Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns
Release Date: Monday 30th November -0001
Genre(s): Documentary, Horror
Running time: 102 minutes
Coinciding with the release of the extended cut of The Shining, Room 237 is a documentary about the possible hidden meanings and subtexts within that very famous horror movie. But more than that, Room 237 could be seen as a movie about movies, and about the very nature of viewing movies itself. If that sounds a bit lofty and pretentious, don't worry; it's also highly entertaining and often laugh out loud funny.
Director Rodney Ascher has compiled a set of interviews with a number of people including a news reporter, a historian, an artist, a film-maker and a musician to give their opinions on what they thought The Shining was really about, and some of the answers they give may shock you. Whilst delving into their possibilities, Ascher smartly uses footage for The Shining, as well as countless other movies, including some of Kubrick's own back-catalogue.
The lack of talking-head interviews is a nice change for the documentary format, but without a face to put to the voice it can often be confusing who it is exactly we're listening to at any one time. Plus some of the voice recordings themselves are of a distractingly low quality, some with heavy background noises or static.
Thankfully, the quality of the interview content still shines through. Kubrick made a classic horror film with The Shining, but by not providing all of the answers to the horrors, he has invited viewers to speculate as to what it all means. The interviewees leave no stone unturned, with everything from horny ghosts, Greek mythology, the holocaust and a faked moon landing all seen between the lines. At times it can seem a little far-fetched - what is obviously a single continuity error is perceived as being a critique on the entirety of the horror genre - but it's at these moments when the movie is at its most entertaining. Equal parts fascinating and bizarre; Room 237 is a must-see for die-hard fans of The Shining, and of movies in general.
