One of the best examples of a semiotic splice within the whole film. You think the answer is yes and that it’s the ghosts of the past. However, the answer is yes because Jack, the something bad, is within the walls of the hotel— and the familial structure of Danny.
From No.6, we see that Danny sees past incidents in relation to the hotel, but the "bad thing" is shown No.41. The warning is shown No.6, No.12, No.38.
So the true fatalism is that there IS something bad here, it's Jack and it was brought here.
Simultaneously it is false fatalism because the "ghosts" that we see are not here to harm the Torrances but serve other functions: In Danny's case the Grady Girls warn him of the true danger, in Jack's case they serve to protect and serve Jack's ego in regard to his hatred for his family and his desire to be famous and "great", in Wendy's case they shove in her face the truth that she's been avoiding by various distractions/indulgences (books, television, smoking)
In this image · No.19
“Is there something bad here?” is a Semiotic Splice. Within the Domestic Abuse narrative, the bad thing is already here in the Torrance family. The question carries emotional baggage and the idea that wherever you go, there you are. See: Fatalism & False Fatalism.
Within the American History narrative, “bad” encompasses cruelty, pain, and murder committed in the name of greed, religion, race, or the greater good. The loaded history and the present family dynamic give the same question different meanings.