'The Shining' at 45: Revisiting Stanley Kubrick’s Seminal Horror Masterpiece
- Jack Ransom
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Jack Ransom - December 15, 2025
Stanley Kubrick’s seminal horror masterpiece, The Shining, celebrates its 45th anniversary this year and there was no way I was missing the chance to see it in all of its glory on the IMAX screen. A family (Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall & Danny Lloyd) heads to an isolated hotel for the winter, where a sinister presence influences the father into violence. At the same time, his psychic son sees horrifying forebodings from both the past and the future.
I first saw The Shining probably when I was around 15 (it was bought alongside Misery, Halloween & A Nightmare on Elm Street if I remember correctly — A true classic horror starter pack for me there!) It was the first horror film that I saw that wasn’t a slasher flick, creature feature or modern supernatural jump scare fest and it stuck with me through multiple viewings and swiftly cemented itself as one of my favourite films of all time.
King, Kubrick and a Legendary Adaptation Divide
For those handful that don’t know, The Shining is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name and is famously disliked by the author himself (even going as far to pen his own often forgotten TV mini-series), due to Kubrick’s alterations to certain elements of the novel and the portrayal of Jack by Jack Nicholson (who King claims was already acting crazy before the Torrance’s even arrived at the hotel).
Whilst King is more than entitled to his opinion (I mean he did write the book), to me the film is still one of the all time great psychological horror outings that overwhelms you with the gargantuan, looming presence of the Overlook Hotel, the paranoid heightening of isolation and madness creeping in as Jack gradually succumbs to the hotel’s power as it seeps through the veins of his past sins, frustration at his work, alcoholism and violent tendencies. The horror imagery on display is striking, unnerving and iconic (from the bloody elevator doors, the axe rampage to the skin crawling inhabitant of Room 237) and my God, that score and the intense sound design on booming from the IMAX screen was an experience unto itself.
Nicholson’s wide-eyed, cackling, unpredictable final third rampage is pure horror villain glee, he is (quite literally) a man possessed. Shelley Duvall went through hell on this shoot, and you can tell that a substantial amount of exhaustion, paranoia, fear is genuine, alongside those moments of joy and tenderness that she spends with her son. Danny Lloyd’s innocent inquisitive portrayal of ‘Doc’, his gravelly tones for Tony and look of sheer peril at his visions showcase his talent even at a young age. Lastly, Scatman Crothers as the mysterious, charming and fantastical Dick Hallorann is a welcome addition.
The Shining on the Big Screen: A Must-See Horror Experience
Forty-five years on, The Shining still remains an all time classic. If you get the chance, see it on the biggest screen possible (it’s worth the price of admission for the opening credits alone, let alone the rest of the stellar work on display) and if it’s your first time viewing during this celebration re-release, I envy you!