The Shining

(1980)

142 minutes

Drama / Horror / Mystery

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Cast:

Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance 
Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance 
Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance 
Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann 
Barry Nelson as Stuart Ullman 
Philip Stone as Delbert Grady 
Joe Turkel as Lloyd the Bartender 
Anne Jackson as Doctor 
Tony Burton as Larry Durkin 
Lia Beldam as Young Woman in Bath 
Billie Gibson as Old Woman in Bath 
Barry Dennen as Bill Watson

Lisa Burns as Grady Daughter  
David Baxt as Forest Ranger #1 
Manning Redwood as Forest Ranger #2   

Jack Nicolson plays Jack Torrance who travels to the Overlook Hotel for an interview on the position for caretaker. The main reason why he wants to take on the job is to work on his writing, for the hotel is very quiet. The background on the hotel was that it was built on the same territory of an Indian commentary and gets completely snowed in during the winter. The manager of the hotel, Stuart Ullman informs Jack that the old caretaker killed himself along with his family since he got cabin fever. Jack’s son, Danny has ESP and has recently had a horrific intuition of the hotel. We learn that Jack has an alcohol problem when Jack's wife, Wendy informs a doctor that Danny has an invisible friend named Tony and that Jack left the bottle after he severely hit Danny after a heavy night of drinking.

When the family arrives on closing day of the hotel, they are given a tour of the hotel. The old chef, Dick Hallorann offers Danny through telepathy if he would like some ice cream. Danny is pleasantly surprised by this and Dick tells him how he and his grandmother would communicate the same way. He calls this gift 'shining'. Danny is curious to know if he should be afraid of anything in the hotel, especially Room 237 since he had that in his premonition. His response to Danny is to only stay away from Room 237.

Jack’s writing is not going anywhere after a month of being in the hotel. Danny and Wendy have fun and try to make the best out of their situation in the big lonely hotel. Things start to shift for the worse when Jack goes into Room 237 where he finds the ghost of a dead woman. He does not share this information with Wendy for some reason. He starts to change into a psychotic lunatic. At first acting very strange and then to the point where his family does not recognize him anymore. The hotel’s ghosts are changing him for the worst. Towards the end of the film he tries to kill his family and says, “Here’s Johnny!” Wendy and Danny escape outside on a snowcat, leaving Jack to freeze to death.