11 Utterly Ludicrous Fan Theories (That Are Actually Quite Convincing)

7. The Shining Is A Moon Landing Hoax Explanation

The Theory: According to the Film Room 237, Stanley Kubrick was hired by the US government to fake the Apollo moon landing, and the director made The Shining to explain himself. Jack's constant complaints about his job responsibilities thus reflect Kubrick's own experience of being forced to comply with government orders. The film is apparently littered with references, including Danny's Apollo 11 sweater.

The Proof: There are a number of signposts in the film that suggest Kubrick's hidden message, as infamously suggested by Jay Wiedner, but here are just a couple: In King's novel, the haunted room is number 217, which changed to 237 for the movie to reflect that the average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 237,000 miles (ish). The twins - who replaced the single slain child of the book - represent NASA's previous Gemini programme. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" should in fact read "A11 work and no play..." referring to Apollo 11. For more "compelling" evidence, go and watch Room 237.