The Shining: ‘Come play with us’ scene

In the beginning of the scene, Danny is riding a tricycle and it’s filmed in an extreme long shot with the camera tracking forward but much slower than Danny is moving to show Danny is in control. He rides away from the camera so in perspective he is getting smaller. This shows he is becoming more vulnerable and further away from help. During this, the sound used is getting more intense, louder and high pitched which triggers the brain to think of screaming which is associated with people or animals in distress. The colour of the walls changes towards the end of the corridor from a green to a red colour. Red is often associated with danger so this shows Danny is entering a dangerous environment.

 At the end of the shot Danny goes out of sight as he turns the corner, however the camera does not follow. Again, this shows that Danny has entered a dangerous place and with the use of the camera not following, Kubrick gives the impression that this place is too dangerous for the viewers to see. The music comes to a very sudden stop as Danny passes through the doorway which causes the viewers to be alarmed and to be anticipated as to what danger follows.  

 This foreshadows the imminent danger which follows as the scene cuts to a close up tracking shot from behind of Danny continuing down the hallway and about to turn the corner. The use of the close up leaves the viewers in anticipation as they are sure there is danger to precede around the corner. Danny turns the corner and comes to an instantaneous stop when he sees the two girls from his previous vision standing there at the end of the hallway. As he turns the corner there is a loud clash of cymbals which is very metallic and unnatural as our brains associate unnatural things with an element of danger.  On the right side of the hallway there is an exit sign which tells the viewers Danny is in grave danger and should get out of this situation. The scene then cuts to a close up of Danny’s face, showing his horrified reaction of seeing these two girls who ironically seem innocent and would appear unusual for a boy to be scared of two girls. Following this, the scene continues and cuts to a shot behind Danny, allowing the viewers to watch, alongside him; the girls speak “Hello, Danny”. This shot is kept for a non typical amount of time to allow the viewers to absorb the shock in the atmosphere. When the girls speak for the second time, the shot is held as an extreme close up on Danny’s face. This emphasises the horrified and almost paralysed look about Danny. For the third time when the girls speak, the camera shows them, “Come play with us, Danny”.  The viewers have now come accustomed to the unorthodox slow place of this scene which allows their shock to be enhanced when the scene cuts to the girls having been butchered in the hallway with an axe next to them. There is a very sudden loud off key piano tune when the scene cuts to the girls dead on the floor. Having the music off key is often very unsettling to hear and causes the viewers to somewhat cringe and be on edge. This shot is very short and it doesn’t let the viewer fully comprehend the horrific sight. This also effectively simulates for the viewers the horrific images that are flashing through Danny’s mind.  

By this point in the scene, the pace has quickened and it promptly cuts to the 2 girls standing in the hall, however the camera is much closer to them now which shows that Danny is getting much closer to danger and it prepares the viewers for more horrific images.  The girls speak again, “Come play with us Danny, forever and ever and ever”; they speak very slowly which gives the dialogue a very ominous element to it.  Throughout the time they’re speaking, the image of the girls butchered on the floor is shown twice more. The use of this impacts the intensity of the murder by allowing the viewers to be shocked by this image multiple times. The murder is only shown for a brief second before cutting to Danny’s horrified face.  The editing is still very fast paced as there is a jump cut to the girls in an even closer shot now as they speak “and ever”. The close succession of these shots channel Danny’s increasingly panicked mental state. The girls continue their dialogue “and ever” which begins the finalising of their appearance in this scene. In this shot of the girls, the camera is the closest it’s ever been to the girls. This leaves the viewers in a sense of believing calamity is approaching. The fast edit pace reflects Danny’s quickening heart rate as he becomes more and more distressed at these sights. After the girls say their last line and the viewers see them for one last time in their live state, the scene cuts to the girls on the floor for a very short moment before quickly returning to an extreme close up of Danny’s face, whose mouth is open in shock. Danny then throws his hands over his eyes to prevent himself from seeing anymore horrific sights.  The music is in tune with Danny’s actions at this moment as there is a quick and loud instrumental noise as Danny covers his eyes. The camera continues to stay on Danny before he cautiously lowers his hands. Having the camera focussed on Danny’s face allows the viewers to be in the same position as him whilst he nervously awaits to see if the girls are still there. As Danny is uncovering his eyes the music is kept at a loud, intense, high pitched and off key note but comes to a slow stop when Danny uncovers one of his eyes to see the hallway which, shortly after, the camera shows it to be clear.