10 Crazy Details Hidden In Horror Movies

2. The Shining - Maze Chase

You know we had to get Kubrick’s masterpiece on this list one way or another. The Shining, not content with being one of the greatest films in cinema history, is also a massive influence on the genre at large and a lot of the films featured in this list to boot.

Look no further than the early trip up into the mountains in The Descent and you’ll find a nod to The Shining’s iconic helicopter-shot opening crawl up to the Overlook Hotel. That said, it’s fair to guess that even Stanley Kubrick himself would have probably hidden in Room 237 if he knew how intense cinematic speculation would get with the rise of YouTube movie analysis.

The auteur always packed his films with subtle, minor touches ripe for discussion and dissection, to the point that there’s an entire acclaimed documentary dedicated to theories about The Shining, both crackpot and convincing.

Among the harder touches to spot is an early nod toward the film’s closing chase throughout the hotel’s hedge maze. Danny watches a classic Road Runner cartoon on television, and while the screen is barely shown, canny viewers will recognize the episode as one featuring a chase through a maze of railway tracks - one mirrored by the circumstances of Jack and Danny’s last night in the Overlook.