The Shining Twins Explained and Why the Movie Changed the Grady Sisters

The identical twins in The Shining are one of the film’s most memorable images; it’s worth investigating what they represent and why they were changed from Stephen King’s original book. 1980 film by Stanley Kubrick The Shining is widely considered one of the best horror films ever made – and for good reason. The atmospheric film follows the Torrance family who, upon moving into the abandoned Overlook Hotel, encounter a malevolent presence that drives the father to murder and haunts the son with sinister images.

The film is deeply enigmatic, full of mysteries and vague allusions that fans still theorize about to this day. One of the most prominent topics of speculation is the significance of the Grady twins. The identical twin sisters, spirits of two children murdered by former caretaker Delbert Grady, are the subject of one of the film’s scariest scenes. The appearance raises numerous questions, including whether the twins are good or evil, what they represent to young Danny Torrance, and why they constitute one of many changes from the Shining book for the film.

The role of the twins in the film Shining explained

The shining twins embody the dread that builds forever

In discussions about the specific type of fear that Stanley Kubrick The Shining manifests itself, a word that is repeated over and over again is “dread”. Better than perhaps any other film ever made, The Shining uses its imagery and atmosphere to create a sense of dread in the viewer. From the moment the audience learns of the previous caretaker family’s terrible fate, every image, from the bloody elevator to the terrifying stillness of the Grady twins, is meant to build on the crushing certainty of Wendy and Danny’s murder.

The twins’ memorable phrase, “Come play with us Danny, forever… and forever… and forever” interspersed with flashes of his grisly end, it’s a not-so-subtle allusion to Danny’s own potential fate. On a psychological level, Danny, who has already faced abuse from his father, sees the murdered twins as a frightening manifestation of what can happen to the children of a violent man. Some have also suggested that the twins have a similar appearance to Danny’s mother Wendy, with dark hair and a blue dress similar to the one she wears at the beginning of the film, representing her fear that Jack will kill her mother.

Why the Grady Sisters Haunt the Overlook Hotel

Glitter’s Scary Twins Might Be the Movie’s Only Friendly Spirits

Of course, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted and malevolent place that preserves the souls that die in it. However, this does not explain why the Grady sisters do not act like the other ghosts present in the hotel, who seem to function as a monolith bent on driving Jack Torrance to murderous madness. It’s likely that the twins, despite their sinister appearance, are trying to help Danny. After all, it is explained that they were killed after trying to burn down the Overlook; The girls were aware of the hotel’s dark power and tried to put an end to it.

One Shining the twin theory even suggests that the Grady sisters may have had “the Shine,” a power that allows them to telepathically communicate directly with Danny. When the twins show Danny images of his own death accompanied by the haunting “forever… and ever… and ever”, they are not just trying to scare you; they are warning you. Later in the film, Jack tells Danny “I wish we could stay here forever… and forever… and forever.” The twins gave Danny the context to understand what she is: a sign that he and his mother are in grave danger of meeting the same end they did.

How the Shining Movie Changed the Sisters Compared to Stephen King’s Book

Kubrick Shining puts much more focus on the Grady sisters than Stephen King’s original novel. In the book, the girls are mentioned a few times, but never appear. Although not named, they are described as “cute as buttons.” Most importantly, King’s novel positions the girls as sisters but not twins. The Grady girls are 8 and 10 years old in the novel. Kubrick changed the Grady sisters to two identical twins, Alexa and Alexie.

It was certainly a sudden move on Kubrick’s part to turn the girls into twins. The sight of the identical pair talking to Danny in monotonous unison is one of the scariest images in cinema. Kubrick’s reason for the change probably boils down to a desire to highlight the theme of doubles that runs through The Shiningthe story. The novel is full of characters who present disturbing reflections on themselves.

Danny has his imaginary friend, Tony, Jack has the previous janitor, Dilbert Grady. By transforming the sisters into twins, Kubrick enriches the theme, encouraging the viewer to reflect on the disturbing phenomenon of the duo.

Pop culture’s shining twins

The Twins’ Ghosts Resonate With Viewers More Than Almost Anything Else In The Shining

It’s difficult to overstate the cultural legacy and pop culture impact of The Shining. Not only is it considered one of the best Stephen King adaptations, but it is also considered the highlight of legendary director Stanley Kubrick’s career and the performance that made Jack Nicholson a household name. Even though the film existed in a vacuum far from the legacies of King and Kubrick, The Shining it would still be considered one of the best horror films ever made – an example of a film responsible for the fame of the names associated with it, rather than a film driven by them.

Given how iconic the film is, it’s no surprise that The Shining It has been parodied repeatedly in other films as well as many TV shows. However, it is interesting how often The Shining Twins, in particular, have been used over the decades. Considering how little the Grady Twins actually appear in the film, it’s a surprise how much of them, of all the scary happenings in Kubrick’s 1980 horror, have appeared or been referenced in the years since. – especially in media that are as far from the horror genre as possible.

For example, children’s films seem to be the last reference to a film as dark and, for many, disturbing as The Shining should appear. However, many family films contain references to the Easter egg from the classic Stephen King adaptation, with many of them being obvious and direct parodies of the creepy twins in The Shining. For example, 2016 The angry birds film contains a The Shining parody sequence when Red (the titular angry bird) sneaks into Pig Castle. During this scene, two of the green Pigs are dressed like the Grady twins, but instead of inviting Red to play with them, they say “REDRUM”.

Another example of a film for the whole family appears in 2015 SpongeBob SquarePants film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. This reference is less obvious than Angry Birds, and comes at a time when Plankton jumps inside SpongeBob’s brain to explore his mind. Among the many bizarre things Plankton encounters is a twin pair of popsicles that speak exactly like The Shining twins, and for older viewers familiar with the 1980 film, the reference is obvious.

Children’s TV shows are not exempt either, as pony versions of The Shining twins were seen at the bottom of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode “Where’s the Apple”. There are then, of course, the expected parodies of shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy, both included direct and obvious parodies of the The Shining among the dozens of references they both made to the film.

While Kubrick’s groundbreaking horror has no shortage of iconic moments; it seems that the one that resonates most with the public is also one of the simplest. As evidenced by how often they are parodied, The Shining twins are now as synonymous with film as the blood elevator or Jack Nicholson’s unforgettable line “Here’s Johnny!”