One of the scariest elements of “The Shining” is it’s ambiguity. You’re not sure if the ghosts are real, or a product of Jack’s mind. The answer is actually in this small scene. Stanley Kubrick mentioned how important this scene was, in fact his first draft script ended with this scene. You see, up until this point in the story, you can think of the ghosts as imaginary. Jack is locked in the pantry, and speaks with the ghost Grady. But here’s the thing:
Grady lets Jack out. This is important because A) It confirms that there ARE ghosts at the hotel and B) it’s practically the only time in the entire movie that the supernatural world physically interacts with the real world.
It’s also worth noting that this scene was the final scene in Stanley Kubrick and Diane Johnson’s first draft of the screenplay.
Joe'smovies948 