Suspense In "The Shining" !

The film Shining tells a story of a writer Jack Torrance who accepts a job as a winter caretaker at a hotel that always gets snow during the winter. Jack son plays a very strong character in the film as he share physic abilities like the hotel chef who calls it "shining". They can see things in the future or past, such as the ghost of murdered people in the hotel. As the hotel becomes snowbound, Jack Torrance becomes highly influenced by the ghost in the hanted hotel, descending into madness and trying to kill his wife and son. However although Jack plays a main part in the success in creating suspense in this thriller i would only like to focus on danny's "REDRUM" scene.

Danny create a sense that he's possess when his voice changes and continuously repeat the word "REDRUM". He slowly walks over to his mum bed where he picks up a knife, this instantly create a tension for the audience as we don't no what he going to so with the knife giving an idea of an anti-climax.

If more so tense after danny's written redrum on the door it is revealed in the mirror by his mum as "Murder", at the same time the audience see Jack cutting through there living quaters force both to leave the hotel however only danny can fit through the window, leaving Wendy in the bathroom on her own. This whole small scene is use camera angels, which convey wendy feeling trapped and scared as every time the axe hits the bathroom door she exaggerately shrudders, implying the sense she feels scared. Also the use of music which goes well with the sound of the axe hitting the wood. At this time we can feel the suspense growing on us as we don't no what going happen next. Which i think is the key to suspense and the success in The Shinining as we don't always know what going on or what but it always as an unusual twist and excitment to it.