MovieChat Forums > The Shining (1980) Discussion > Did the "Hotel" want the family dead, or...

Did the "Hotel" want the family dead, or was it the ghosts?


I was reading over the FAQ, and this question/answer confuses me:

"Why do the ghosts want Jack to kill his family?
The Ghosts want Jack to kill Danny because the shining is what gives the Hotel power. The only way Danny's shine would stay permanently at the Hotel would be for him to die there. The only reason Jack was chosen was because he was the weakest link to get to Danny."

So, do the actual dead spirits / ghosts want the hotel to have more power, or does the hotel itself want more power? And if it is the hotel, are there even real ghosts there, or are they all controlled by the hotel?

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The hotel itself craves the power. It's the main threat. But the ghosts are real too; they're not exactly controlled by the hotel like puppets. They're distinct, but they're under the hotel's influence.

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I thought the ghosts were an extension of the hotel itself - sort of the hotel’s essence taking on a human form.

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