René Descartes was a philosopher who introduced a popular philosophical method called Radical Doute in his book Meditations on Early Philosophy. Descartes “proposed to discard any kind of belief which could be doubted, [because it] could be false”. In Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese, and The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, viewers discover characters who doubt the very existence of reality, much like Descartes, and who drown in the depths of madness. Fear, paranoia and doubt are the main ingredients that make both films a psychological maze that constantly teases the brain at every turn. Both Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick are masters of filmmaking and are no strangers to the horror genre. Nonetheless, the two have created a product that makes viewers question what it means to be sane. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate the similarities and differences between Shutter Island and The Shining based on their themes of madness, isolation, and alcoholism. The story of Shutter Island revolves around Marshall Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule, and their journey. on an isolated and deserted island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an inmate from the mental asylum. The island is home to a fortress-like psychiatric facility, Ashcliffe Hospital, which houses 66 of the country's most dangerous criminals. From the beginning, Martin Scorsese introduces viewers to the theme of isolation. In the opening scene, Scorsese uses the boat ride as a sign depicting the island's distance from reality. Viewers are never introduced to an unfiltered view of the “real world” outside of the asylum. The only information available about reality beyond middle of paper...... Els finds himself trapped on the island because of a hurricane, much like Jack finds himself trapped in the hotel because of a snowstorm. Both Shutter Island and The Shining revolve around unreliable protagonists. Spectators discover the “heroes”, then their slow descent into madness. Isolation and madness are present in every scene of both films, which transformed normal, loving fathers into insane, psychotic killers who brought them both to their ends. Works Citedhttp://www.swif.uniba.it/lei/foldop/foldoc.cgi?Cartesian+doubthttp://faculty.ccri.edu/paleclerc/intro/desc_method.shtmlhttp://movies.ign.com/articles /107/1070199p1.htmlhttp://www.theauteurs.com/films/3506http://metapilm.com/index.php/detail/the_shining/http://www.houseofhorrors.com/shining.htmhttp://blog .cinemaautopsy.com/2010/02/16/film-review-shutter-island-2010/