Shining: Redrum, The

Updated
shiningredrum_front.jpg
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1980
Original Running Time:
119
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
119
Time Cut:
1
Time Added:
1
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
The Shining has always been a mysterious film, with multiple conspiracy theories circulating about hidden messages within. One bizarre practice among the most zealous fans of Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece is to attempt to 'uncover' the deepest subconscious meaning of an already subversive film by playing it both forward and backward simultaneously, with the belief that Kubrick had designed the film itself in perfect symmetry, as he did with many of the shots.

The result is best described as unsettling, hallucinatory and disturbing. While by no means was this film officially meant to be watched this way, the visual and thematic parallels of the beginning and end of the film are eerily resonant. The first scene for example has Jack telling his employers that "there's no way he's going to go insane" while we watch the shadowy reverse footage of him stalking his son through a maze, showing how structurally deep and complex the film really is. I did not invent this method of watching The Shining, but have put my own spin on it to make it a more satisfying experience.
Intention:
There's really nothing I can say to promote this experiment, it is a bizarre, unsettling, unforgettable and enlightening visual experience of an extraordinarily deep film, best suited for fans of The Shining and Kubrick to experience, at least once.. if just once... It is a film which haunts itself.

The Forward-Backward experiment involves playing the film both forward and in reverse at the same time, however only the forward audio is played to maintain spatial orientation. However I did make several creative changes to both improve the image quality (by adjusting the opacity of scenes that were too bright to keep both streams visible) and the narrative. The narrative changes were only made AFTER the midpoint (or convergence point) where both forward and backward streams meet. This was done to increase the disturbing nature of the experience and further mirror Jack's descent into madness. Of note, I used the European Cut of the Shining for this edit as it simply worked better in forward-backward form.
Additional Notes:
The Shining (European Cut) used for the edit.
Other Sources:
The Shining (U.S. Theatrical Cut)
Special Thanks:
Neglify, for his encouragement and constant support of this project
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
Adobe Premiere CC
Cuts and Additions:
1. Title cards added before first shot to indicate this is the "Redrum" edition
2. Film played forwards and backwards simultaneously. Opacity adjusted depending on shots to keep both streams in clear focus.
3. In the forward stream, a brief scene of Halloran calling the ranger station is cut (although this scene can be seen in the reverse stream)- approximately 1 min cut
4. During the airplane scene with Halloran, the forward and reverse stream switch positions for the remainder of the scene
5. "Danny's not here Mrs Torrance" scene from US Cut added back in - approximately 1 min restored
6. In the final maze chase, the reverse stream is largely abandoned in favor of a sole forward stream. The reason is because visually, the early scenes were too bright and blew out the visuals the night chase. Narratively, the impact of the chase is lessened by showing the interview scene in reverse stream again (this is a juxtaposition we already experienced at the start of the edit), so it was dropped. Overall, only around 3 minutes of these final scenes have no reverse stream.
Cover art by ranger613 (DOWNLOAD HERE) image

User reviews

2 reviews
Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0(2)
Audio Editing
 
6.5(2)
Visual Editing
 
10.0(2)
Narrative
 
8.0(2)
Enjoyment
 
9.5(2)
Overall rating
 
8.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
5.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I'm not sure what I gained from watching this it was definitely something though. At many points it was more distracting than anything else but for the few crucial points in the plot the scenes paired up pretty well and added a certain craziness to the experience. Early on while Jack is in this job orientation explaining how he isn't the type of person that would go crazy being paired with him chasing Danny with an axe through the labyrinth was one of the numerous times the scenes work very well together.

The ending was a very nice touch and I liked the extra scenes they really added to the experience. Gave a 5/10 for audio editing as not much was done if anything to the audio track.

I will definitely give this a recommendation.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
R
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Man, what a trippy experience. Nicely done. And since I enjoy analyzing Kubrick movies, this was fun.

As it goes with most synchronicity-type projects, not everything melds together, some parts are really kick-ass and others are just kinda ho-hum. It's fascinating as an examination to how Kubrick structured the storyline, in terms of foreshadowing and paired scenes. For example, the scene of Jack getting frustrated when Wendy interrupts his writing alongside Wendy swinging the bat as he taunts her.

I dug the changes you made, good work with that ending. And extra points for added shots from other Kubrick flicks (I won't say what or where though ).

For hardcore Kubrick nerds, this is a must-watch!

(Note: I rated Audio Editing an 8 since little or no audio editing was done, because it's a visual experience.)

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0