Sierra Lindberg
The Shining is an R (Restricted) rated psychological horror film released May 23, 1980. The movie took more than five years to film, edit/revise, and wrap up. This block-buster film is based on a book written by Stephen King, The Shining. King was inspired to write the book about an actual nightmare he had while staying at the Timberline Lodge, in the Stanley Hotel, Mt. Hood, Oregon.
This movie took precise work ethics and time management to complete the final result. One of the most iconic scenes occurs when Jack Torrance, the main character, loses his mind and screams that familiar phrase we all know and love, “Here’s Johnny!” That scene took three attempts to shoot, but when it came to another iconic scene the producers had to dispose of over 60 destroyed doors.
Towards the beginning of the movie, a hallway with an elevator pops up on the screen, while creepy music sets the tone. Then out of nowhere, a sea of blood flows out from the elevator doors into the hallway, flushing the camera with blood. Each time this scene was reshot, it took nine days to clean up the blood from the set. In all, to film that one scene took over a year.
This movie received amazing reviews and became a blockbuster movie of the year. Millions of people enjoyed this movie, except for one: “The King of Horror,” the author Stephen King himself. King was unhappy and disappointed with the movie, specifically stating, “The movie was like a big beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it.”
King said that the reason he didn’t like the movie was mostly due to the fact that Kubrick had managed to make the film his own and varied from King's original vision from the book.
In all, this movie is unforgettable when it comes to blood, gore, and physiological horror, but recommended if you're looking for a jolting scare!