After the box office failure of Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick decided to embark on a project that might have more commercial appeal. The Shining, Stephen Kings biggest critical and commercial success yet, seemed like a perfect vehicle. After an arduous production, Kubricks film received a wide release in the summer of 1980; the reviews were mixed, but the box office, after a slow start, eventually picked up. End of story? Hardly. In the 30 years since the films release, a considerable cult of Shining devotees has emerged, fans who claim to have decoded the films secret messages addressing everything from the genocide of Native Americans to a range of government conspiracies. Rodney Aschers wry and provocative Room 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with cultists and scholars, creating a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of Kubricks still-controversial classic.
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