The Shining
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. It is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, and Scatman Crothers. The film presents the descent into insanity of a recovering alcoholic and aspiring novelist (Nicholson) who takes a job as winter caretaker for a haunted resort hotel with his wife (Duvall) and clairvoyant son (Lloyd). Production took place almost exclusively at EMI Elstree Studios, with sets based on real locations. Kubrick often worked with a small crew, which allowed him to do many takes, sometimes to the exhaustion of the actors and staff. The new Steadicam mount was used to shoot several scenes, giving the film an innovative and immersive look and feel. The film was released in the United States on May 23, 1980, and in the United Kingdom on October 2 by Warner Bros. There were several versions for theatrical releases, each of which was cut shorter than the preceding cut; about 27 minutes was cut in total. Reactions to the film at the time of its release were mixed; Stephen King criticized the film due to its deviations from the novel. The film received two controversial nominations at the first Razzies in 1981—Worst Director and Worst Actress—the latter of which was later rescinded in 2022 due to Kubrick's alleged treatment of Duvall on set. Critical response to the film has since become favorable. Frequently cited as one of the best horror films of all time, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2018. A sequel titled Doctor Sleep based on King's 2013 novel of the same name was adapted to film and released in 2019.
Mom? Yeah? Do you really wanna go and live in that hotel for the winter? Sure I do. It'll be lots of fun. Yeah. I guess so. Anyway, there's hardly anybody to play with around here. Yeah, I know. It always takes a little time to make new friends. Yeah, I guess so. What about Tony? He's looking forward to the hotel, I bet. No, I ain't, Mrs. Torrance. Now, come on, Tony. Don't be silly.
The Shining
The winters can be fantastically cruel. The basic idea is to cope with the very costly damage, and depreciation which can occur. This consists mainly of running the boiler, heating different parts of the hotel on a daily rotating basis, repairing damage as it occurs, and doing repairs so the elements can't get a foothold. That sounds fine to me. Physically, it's not a very demanding job. The only thing that can get a bit trying here during the winter is a tremendous sense of isolation. That just happens to be exactly what I'm looking for. I'm outlining a new writing project. Five months of peace is just what I want. That's very good, Jack. Because, for some people, solitude, and isolation can, of itself, become a problem. Not for me. How about your wife and son? Do you think they'll take to it?
The Shining
I'm intrigued. I don't suppose they said anything in Denver about the tragedy we had up here during the winter of 1970. I don't believe they did. My predecessor in this job hired a man named Charles Grady as the winter caretaker. He came up with his wife and two little girls of about 8 and 10. He had a good employment record, good references. And from what I've been told, he seemed like a completely normal individual. But at some point during the winter, he must have suffered some kind of a complete mental breakdown. He ran amuck... and killed his family with an ax. Stacked them neatly in a room in the west wing, and then... he put both barrels of his shotgun in his mouth.
The Shining
But it did. I think you can appreciate why I wanted to tell you about it. I certainly can. I also understand why your people in Denver left it for you to tell me. Obviously, some people can be put off from staying in a place where something like that happened. You can rest assured that's not gonna happen with me. And as far as my wife is concerned, I'm sure she'll be absolutely fascinated when I tell her. She's a confirmed ghost story and horror-film addict.
The Shining