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The Shining

Play trailer 0:30 Poster for The Shining R 1980 2h 23m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 177 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.
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The Shining

The Shining

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Critics Consensus

Though it deviates from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness -- exemplified by an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson.

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Critics Reviews

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Arthur Knight The Hollywood Reporter Oct 20, 2026
Nicholson is obviously having the time of his life. I wonder if everyone else will. Go to Full Review Jack Kroll Newsweek Oct 19, 2026
Kubrick builds this two-hour-and-twenty-minute crescendo of terror with a mastery that is itself more than a bit demonic. He not only gets the horror, he gets the perverse beauty of horror -- a major achievement. Go to Full Review Dean Johnson Orlando Sentinel Oct 19, 2026
4/4
If The Shining isn't Kubrick's most intelligent movie, it offers us a couple of hours in the presence of genius -- and this time around, the genius seems to be having great fun. Go to Full Review Jeff Simon Buffalo News Oct 19, 2026
What one could have suspected in A Clockwork Orange and has been reasonably convinced of in Barry Lyndon becomes a certainty in The Shining: Kubrick no longer knows what to do with his own genius. Go to Full Review Jack Garner Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Oct 19, 2026
Kubrick's Shining may be occasionally illogical or surrealistic, or even muddled -- but so are your nightmares, and so are the minds of the insane. Those are Kubrick's terms for this movie. Accept them and you'll be riding a haunting whirlwind of terror. Go to Full Review Ginger Varney L.A. Weekly Oct 19, 2026
Watching Kubrick's movie is like witnessing an amputation at a long remove. You don't know it's your own arm being cut off 'til you start feeling the shock -- in the severed nerves. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tom Oct 23, 2026 love this film, they don't make em like this anymore See more Luke Oct 5, 2026 All work and no play make Jack a dull boy See more Doc Halloween Oct 5, 2026 1st time seeing the movie in the theater. Didn’t disappoint. See more Color Oct 4, 2026 Beyond classic, a true work of art See more Emmanuel Oct 3, 2026 It’s just a classic horror movie that everyone should watch once in their life. See more Andres Oct 3, 2026 Although it is a lengthy feature, everyone can appreciate the wonderful performances from the movie’s three main leads. Watching closely you can see how movies of today’s era borrow from The Shining’s ingenuity and iconic moments. Great composition and atmosphere See more Read all reviews
The Shining

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Cast & Crew

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Stanley Kubrick

Director

Jack Nicholson

Jack Torrance

Shelley Duvall

Wendy Torrance

Danny Lloyd

Danny

Scatman Crothers

Hallorann

Barry Nelson

Ullman

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The Shining

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The Shining

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Producer
Robert Fryer, Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter
Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Producers Circle, Peregrine, Warner Brothers, Hawk Films
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 23, 1980, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 2025
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2008
Runtime
2h 23m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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