3. Here's Johnny!
Definitely the most iconic scene from The Shining, the famous bathroom and axe scene occurs right at the height of Jack's mental instability. Alfred Hitchcock explained the difference between a suspense and surprise scene with the example of a bomb under a table with two characters; if the audience is shown the bomb with a timer then suspense is immediately created, as the audience is fearful of what is about to happen, whereas if the bomb just goes off unannounced, then it is one of surprise. The Shining features both of these techniques, for example the blood streaming from the elevator can be seen as one of surprise, however the "Here's Johnny!" scene is a masterful act of suspense and tension. Interspersed with the blood curdling shrieks and wails of Wendy, we see Jack at the climax of his insanity, gradually but forcefully lashing though the door with an axe to enter the bathroom with every intention of killing his wife. It could be interpreted that the axe violently invading the locked door could be symbolic of a vicious rape scene; as the axe, an obvious phallic symbol is being plundered forcefully through the locked door. Once through the barricades, Jack puts his face through the door and menacingly utters the now famous lines "Here's Johnny!", emphasising the state of his psyche, as his face is the picture of a disturbed and violent man.