46 Years Ago, This Chilling Thriller Based On a Stephen King Best Seller Was Released
"Here's Johnny!" In 1980, Ronald Regan was elected president, Mount St. Helens erupted, CNN launched, Pac-Man became a household name, the iconic ‘Who shot J.R.?' episode of Dallas aired, and The Shining opened in theaters.
On May 23, 1980, 46 years ago, iconic director Stanley Kubrick's masterful adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling 1977 novel hit the big screen. Starring a young Jack Nicholson in a terrifyingly intense performance as father, husband, writer, and Overlook Hotel caretaker, Jack Torrance, the film wasn't an instant success.
Despite its current status as a cinematic legend, The Shining was initially met with a lukewarm reception at best. Variety'sJim Harwood slammed the film in 1980, writing a scathing review, "Stanley Kubrick has teamed up with Jack Nicholson to destroy all that was so terrifying about Stephen King's bestseller." Likewise, Gene Siskel wasn't kind to Kubrick, calling The Shining, "a crashing disappointment" and adding, "The biggest surprise is that it contains virtually no thrills."
While reviews didn't exactly sell the horror film, it still managed to make over $44 million. That said, the movie's gross didn't even land it in the top 10 for the year. The biggest money-makers of 1980 included The Empire Strikes Back, 9 to 5, Stir Crazy, Kramer vs. Kramer, Any Which Way You Can, Private Benjamin, Coal Miner's Daughter, Smokey and the Bandit II, The Blues Brothers, and Ordinary People.
Even though reviews of the film's release panned the 144-minute flick, The Shining has obviously gained momentum in the years since. With a current 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and years of praise, the sci-fi-ish suspense/mystical thriller is now known as a masterpiece in the ‘horror' genre.
Along with Nicholson, The Shining also stars a relatively small cast, including actress Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, Scatman Crothers as Dick Halloran, and Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance. And then of course, there's the movie's standout star…the Overlook Hotel.
The fictional Colorado resort had just the right amount of creepy sophistication to make it the perfect place for a gruesome crime. But alas, there is no real Overlook Hotel. The exterior shots were filmed at the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon, and the interior was actually a set at EMI Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England. And if you're wondering whether that mind-bending hedge maze really exists, the answer is no. It was built on a studio backlot.
Kubrick filmed the movie between 1978 and 1979, but acquired the screen rights before King released his novel in 1977. The filmmaker then teamed up with screenwriter Diane Johnson to complete the script. Fun fact: According to the American Film Institute, the pair wrote The Shining on an Adler typewriter. And yes, fans of the film may already know that was the same model Nicholson's character used in the movie to type his novel (a.k.a., "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.").
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 2:08 PM.