12 Unsolved Movie Mysteries That Drove You Mad

7. What Does The Final Shot Mean? - The Shining

Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece ends with one of the most fervently discussed closing shots in cinema history: a picture of a party with the film's protagonist Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) at the centre.

The kicker? It's labelled "Overlook Hotel, July 4th Ball, 1921", having been taken some six decades before Torrance ever stopped foot in the Overlook Hotel, and before he himself ever existed.

The ambiguity of the shot has been agonised over by fans ever since the film's release, and Stephen King's source novel provides few additional clues considering that the picture wasn't part of his book.

There are two primary theories: either Jack had his soul consumed by the hotel upon dying and this picture contains all the souls the hotel has claimed, or that Jack is actually a reincarnation of a previous Torrance family member who was a caretaker at the hotel.

The latter would seem to support the spectral butler Grady (Philip Stone) telling Jack, "You've always been the caretaker", and in Kubrick's own words, "The ballroom photograph at the very end suggests the reincarnation of Jack."

But it's important to consider every word of what Kubrick is saying here: it suggests Jack has been reincarnated. That doesn't necessarily mean it's the truth, and it wouldn't be beyond Kubrick to be playfully toying with people here.