A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
- Director
- Writers
- Stephen King(based upon the novel by)
- Stanley Kubrick(screenplay by)
- Diane Johnson(screenplay by)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Stephen King(based upon the novel by)
- Stanley Kubrick(screenplay by)
- Diane Johnson(screenplay by)
- Stars
- Awards
- 4 wins & 8 nominations
Videos17
- Director
- Writers
- Stephen King(based upon the novel by)
- Stanley Kubrick(screenplay by)
- Diane Johnson(screenplay by)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Haunted by a persistent writer's block, the aspiring author and recovering alcoholic, Jack Torrance, drags his wife, Wendy, and his gifted son, Danny, up snow-capped Colorado's secluded Overlook Hotel after taking up a job as an off-season caretaker. As the cavernous hotel shuts down for the season, the manager gives Jack a grand tour, and the facility's chef, the ageing Mr Hallorann, has a fascinating chat with Danny about a rare psychic gift called "The Shining", making sure to warn him about the hotel's abandoned rooms, and, in particular, the off-limits Room 237. However, instead of overcoming the dismal creative rut, little by little, Jack starts losing his mind, trapped in an unforgiving environment of seemingly endless snowstorms, and a gargantuan silent prison riddled with strange occurrences and eerie visions. Now, the incessant voices inside Jack's head demand sacrifice. Is Jack capable of murder? —Nick Riganas
- Taglines
- Iconic terror from the No 1 bestselling writer.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated R for disturbing violent content and behavior, bloody images, graphic nudity, and strong language
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaFor the scene in which Jack breaks down the bathroom door, the props department built a door that could be easily broken. However, Jack Nicholson had worked as a volunteer fire marshal and tore it apart far too easily. The props department were then forced to build a stronger door.
- GoofsWhen Jack is using the ax to break through the door, he only breaks through one of the recessed panels and says, "Here's Johnny". But when he hears the snowmobile and turns, and the shot changes, two of the panels are gone without him using the ax on them.
- Quotes
Jack Torrance: Here's Johnny!
- Crazy creditsThe party music plays over the closing credits. After it ends, we hear the Overlook Hotel ghosts applaud. They then talk amongst themselves until their voices fade away.
- Alternate versionsABC edited 4 minutes from the film for its 1983 network television premiere.
- ConnectionsEdited into Hai-Kubrick (1999)
- SoundtracksThe Shining (Main Title)
Written by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind
Performed by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind
Based on "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath" from Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz and traditional requiem "Dies Irae"
Top review
One of the scariest movies ever---8/10
I was never a big fan of horror movies. They usually try cheap tricks to scare their audiences like loud noises and creepy children. They usually lack originality and contain overacting galore. The only horror movie i like was Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon. It was well-acted, and had a great story. But it has been joined and maybe even surpassed by Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, quite possibly the scariest movie ever.
The movie follows a writer (Jack Nicholson) and his family who agree to watch over a hotel while it is closed for the winter. There were rumors of the place being haunted and the last resident went crazy and murdered his family. But Jack is convinced it will be OK and he can use the quiet to overcome his writer's block. After months of solitude and silence however, Jack becomes a grumpy and later violent. Is it cabin fever or is there something in the hotel that is driving him mad?
One of the creepiest parts about the movie is the feeling of isolation that Kubrick makes. The hotel is very silent, and the rooms are huge, yet always empty. It is also eerily calm when Jack's son is riding his bike through the barren hallways. Jack Nicholson's performance is also one of his very best, scaring the hell out of me and making me sure to get out once in awhile. My favorite scene is when he is talking to a ghost from inside a walk-in refrigerator.
The Shining is tops for horror movies in my opinion, beating the snot out of crap like the Ring and The Blair Witch Project. It may be a oldie, but is definitely a goodie. 8/10
The movie follows a writer (Jack Nicholson) and his family who agree to watch over a hotel while it is closed for the winter. There were rumors of the place being haunted and the last resident went crazy and murdered his family. But Jack is convinced it will be OK and he can use the quiet to overcome his writer's block. After months of solitude and silence however, Jack becomes a grumpy and later violent. Is it cabin fever or is there something in the hotel that is driving him mad?
One of the creepiest parts about the movie is the feeling of isolation that Kubrick makes. The hotel is very silent, and the rooms are huge, yet always empty. It is also eerily calm when Jack's son is riding his bike through the barren hallways. Jack Nicholson's performance is also one of his very best, scaring the hell out of me and making me sure to get out once in awhile. My favorite scene is when he is talking to a ghost from inside a walk-in refrigerator.
The Shining is tops for horror movies in my opinion, beating the snot out of crap like the Ring and The Blair Witch Project. It may be a oldie, but is definitely a goodie. 8/10
helpful•216138
- Sfpsycho415
- Feb 28, 2005
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $19,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $45,634,352
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $622,337
- May 26, 1980
- Gross worldwide
- $47,299,460
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