Wes Anderson + ‘The Shining’ = The quirkiest horror movie we’ve ever seen
Wes Anderson is often called one of the most idiosyncratic filmmakers of our time — and for good reason. The Academy Award-nominated director and screenwriter has an unbelievably distinct style to his work. With Anderson, it’s all about the aesthetics: Perfectly symmetrical shots, “handmade art direction,” a carefully curated palette of colors. His films are so aesthetically consistent that he even uses the same actors again and again. His dialogue is crisp and clever, and his characters delightfully odd. Anderson’s films are a visual delight, and so unmistakable that they’ve been the subject of great praise and parody alike over the years.
But for all of Anderson’s accomplishments, he has yet to dip his toe into quite a few genres of film. What if he gave film noir or sci-fi a try? Better yet, what if Wes Anderson wrote and directed a psychological horror, like The Shining? Thanks to YouTube user Steve Ramsden, now we know.
In a brilliant mash-up with The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ramsden created a parody trailer for The Grand Overlook Hotel — and it is just as amazing as you might expect. Stanley Kubrick’s original film — based on Stephen King’s book of the same name — is probably one of my favorite films of all time. It’s hard to beat creepy ghost children in matching outfits and Jack Nicholson swinging an axe. But The Grand Overlook Hotel looks like the sequel of my dreams.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that Anderson has been the subject of parody. A couple years ago, SNL imagined what an original Anderson-penned and directed horror flick might look like — and it was arguably one of the best sketches of the season. (If you haven’t seen the “trailer” for The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders, do so immediately.) Just last month, YouTube user Patrick (H) Williams reimagined X-Men, Anderson style, and it quickly went viral. But Ramsden’s parody definitely deserves a spot with the best of them.
In the trailer, it’s not hard to believe that these two universes could collide and the characters — hotels included — could exist in tandem. Danny Torrance plays wonderfully alongside Monsieur Gustave. The dialogue matches up in such a way to give Anderson’s whimsical film a sinister tone and Stanley Kubrick’s a new layer of quirkiness. It’s fun, hilarious, and a little dark, and we can’t stop watching it. The mash-up totally works — which makes sense, given that Anderson has previously claimed Kubrick as one of his biggest influences.
“Kubrick is definitely one of my favorites,” Anderson told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. “But usually, by the time I’m making a movie, I don’t really know where I’m stealing from. So by the time I make the movie, I think, ‘Oh, this is my thing.’ But I think I’m always pretty influenced by Kubrick.”
Anderson utilizes a lot of similar stylistic choices and film techniques as Kubrick — made all the more apparent by juxtaposing the two films. Ramsden clearly has a great eye, and we’re applauding him for creating such a wonderfully done mash-up of two already incredible films.
Check it out for yourself below!
(Image via.)
