Martin Scorcese has brought us some of the greatest cinematic pieces over the years and it is no wonder that he continues to do so. The director has made some of the greatest movies that are built in the world of gangsters. His work has stood the test of time with each project in recent years telling us his mastery of the concept of storytelling. But one of his projects that truly stands out from the rest has to be the psychological thriller Shutter Island. It is the topic of major discussion amongst fans all across the world because of the head-scratching end and the creepy narrative. Let’s take a look at 7 facts about the movie that clearly indicate that Shutter Island the best psychological thriller movie.
The Nod To A Horror Classic With The Opening
Scorcese did not want to leave any chance for making the movie as eerie as possible by adding some rather interesting haunting details. For the setting at Ashecliffe, he wanted to bring something creative to the plate with something already in hand. Fans of the genre would love to remember that a major reference to a Stanley Kubrick movie is made at the very opening. The music for the scene is actually from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. This is actually one of the best horror movies ever made and the music was composed by György Ligeti and it was used during some of the tensest scenes in the movie.
The Disappearance Of The Wet Clothes
One of the most pivotal moments from the movie has to be the lighthouse at the end of the island which was supposed to represent the twisted nature of Ashecliffe hospital. Andrew Laeddis actually convinces himself that this place is actually a remote place for carrying out lobotomies while being in the role of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels. In his delusional state, Andrew is actually seen swimming towards the lighthouse and entering the lighthouse. But surprisingly his clothes look dry when he is inside the lighthouse because they were soaking wet when he was outside because he had swum in. It might seem like a mistake or it could be a detail that goes to show what Andrew might have been imagining in his head.
Fire & Water As An Underlying Theme
Often times movies use certain themes to bring in certain details instead of talking about them directly so as to treat the audience. The movie keeps representing Teddy/Andrew’s journey by showing fire and water which might be indicative of denial and acceptance. Fire represents moments where Daniel is trying to reject his true identity and hence it comes up whenever he is having his delusions. The water in the movie is actually Daniels’ indication towards accepting the truth about himself. Daniels keeps ongoing on his journey for self-discovery in some of the moments where he is faced with a sea storm.
Reverse Motion During Important Moments
One of the most pivotal scenes in the movie is at the lake where we find Teddy Daniels/Andrew Laeddis realizing that his wife has murdered their children. This is actually something that ends up pushing him towards the descent into mental instability and hence he ended up becoming the patient at Ashecliffe hospital. Certain parts of this scene are shot in reverse and they are placed between regularly shot scenes. This creates a certain uncomfortable tone for the movie as often the audience might be confused as to what might be wrong with the scene.
Parallels To Real Life Serial Killer
We Daniels and his partner are actually called in for investigating the individuals who have committed serious crimes and at the same time are rather disturbed individuals. We don’t actually get to see the criminals in a proper manner but we do see some rather chilling moments here and there. A particular scene allows us to hear something that is a slightly altered version of something a real-life serial killer, William Heiren had written on the wall of one of his victims. He had written, “For heaven’s sake catch me before I kill more I cannot control myself.”
Taking Inspiration From Zombie Films
The director used a lot of references to classic horror movies in order to nail the visual aesthetics of Shutter Island. He actually makes a clear nod to Val Lewton’s 1940’S zombie movies which had actually brought the genre before George A Romero popularised it with his movies. Scorcese even made his crew watch certain projects so that they can try to understand his vision for the movie.
Use of 65mm For The Dream Sequences
A particularly exciting detail for the film buffs has to be the fact that both Scorcese and DiCaprio had decided on using the 65mm for the dream sequences in the movie. This is something that has not been done for quite a long time now in filmmaking. That actually ended up helping the movie because it somehow gives us a certain vibe visually that was only available in films of the past time.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for more content.
Also Watch:
