Room 237

Released Mar 29, 2013

1h 42m

Documentary

List

94%

Tomatometer

132 Reviews

55%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Rodney Ascher analyzes Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror novel "The Shining."

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Critics Consensus

Mysterious and provocative, Room 237 is a fascinating journey into the world of obsessive cinephilles.

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J. Hoberman

Tablet

Do the Kabbalist readings or wild free associations that Room 237 celebrates improve The Shining? Let's say that they create a parallel text: Lost in the Overlook, in search of the overlooked.

Dec 31, 2015

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Don't watch this film and expect an authoritative critical analysis of the film; watch it and explore the distorting, drug-like pull that some art can exert on its audience.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 24, 2015

Full Review

David Thomson

The New Republic

A curious and entertaining documentary.

Jun 12, 2013

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

I found Rodney Ascher’s doc an enjoyable excuse to look at a lot of great Kubrick shots in quick succession while having a familiar film shaken up, however unconvincingly...

Jan 24, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

It's a compellingly made documentary in visual terms.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 23, 2022

Full Review

Kyle Anderson

Battleship Pretension

I doubt any two people will have the exact same Shining experience and nor will two people have the same Room 237 experience. It's a mystery, but one that will keep you thinking for weeks longer than you ever thought you would.

Mar 17, 2021

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Evan T

I was really invested in this doc until they went on a 15 mine rambling rant about the moon landing being fake. Disgusting conspiracy theorists.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

Jeff M

REVIEW: I was not a fan of THE SHINING, but there was enough interest there for me to check out this documentary which came out 32 years after Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel. There were many changes made from book to silver screen, which is probably why King has been vocally critical of the movie. Based on this documentary, there are some out there who believe Kubrick made these changes for myriad reasons - from the genocide of the American Indian to the Holocaust to the 1969 moon landing. And these theorists have painstakingly watched frame by frame of this movie to prove their points. It's often fascinating to hear what they've come up with, but it also gets a bit tiring. I admit to rolling my eyes on more than one occasion. The Kubrick fan boys insist errors in continuity are actually symbolic of the decay of human existence. It gets to be a bit much, even when I admire their passion. Fans of the film will probably find even more here to appreciate than I did. Truth be told, I had more enjoyment with this documentary than the film itself.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

Gin & Pentatonic

I'm hoping to give the souls reading this an hour and thirty minutes of their lives back. I can't think of a more ridiculous documentary. Poorly conceived, poorly constructed and almost nothing about The Shining that is even interesting or intriguing. Basically a bunch of people ruminating with embarrassingly little evidence, about the hidden (most so hidden you never actually see them) clues inside the movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/25/23

Full Review

D D

What a bunch of clowns. Spending all that time looking for something that isn't there. They should go outside and stare at the clouds and see what they find; which by the way one of them actually kinda did LOL. Give me a break.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/04/23

Full Review

Ashley K

Would have been much more interesting without the input of the lunkhead who repeatedly insisted that this movie was about Native Americans. It wasn't.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/23

Full Review

Christopher V

I feel pretty duped. It's funny because it just proves that you can say anything and visually allure anyone without any kind of trust or truth. It's all relative to the art and the lie…

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Rodney Ascher

Director

Jay Weidner

Actor

Bill Blakemore

Actor

Geoffrey Cocks

Actor

Juli Kearns

Actor

John Fell Ryan

Actor

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Rodney Ascher analyzes Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror novel "The Shining."

Director: Rodney Ascher
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Highland Park Classics
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 29, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $259.8K
Runtime: 1h 42m

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