When Stanley Kubrick was looking for a new project, after completing work on Barry Lyndon, he turned to books. He would sit in his office each day, with a pile of new releases waiting for something to catch his eye. His secretary knew when another book had been rejected because she would hear it hitting the wall. But one day she noticed that hours had passed without any thumping - that was the day he read Stephen King's latest offering; The Shining.
Fast forward to 1980 and Kubrick had completed his scary movie masterpiece, starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd as the ill-fated Torrance family.
Now, four decades on, The Shining is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential horror films ever made.
Today we're looking back on this classic horror movie and exploring from behind the scenes, to see just what it took to make The Shining.
18 Danny Lloyd Wasn't Allowed To Know That He Was Making A Horror Film
As Danny Lloyd was just 5 years old when he was cast, director Stanley Kubrick was adamant that he not know that he was making a horror movie. He was told that The Shining was a drama film, and he didn't actually see the completed movie until he was 16 years old.
17 Stanley Kubrick Didn't Bother To Read Stephen King's Screenplay Version Of The Shining
While director Stanley Kubrick loved the concept for The Shining, he didn't seem to have much faith in Stephen King's ability to convert the novel into a screenplay. In fact, according to one of his biographers, Kubrick didn't even bother to read the screenplay draft King prepared for him. He instead hired one of his favorite authors to write it.
16 Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, And Robin Williams Were All Considered For The Role Of Jack Torrance
While it's almost impossible to imagine anyone but Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, Stanley Kubrick did have a few other actors in mind for the role. Nicholson was his first choice but he also considered Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, and Robin Williams for the role of the demented writer.
15 The Here's Johnny! Scene Took Three Days (And Sixty Doors) To Film
The props department was called into action for the "Here's Johnny!" scene and had to supply more than 60 doors to be destroyed. This one scene took three days to film. Jack Nicholson also improvised the famous line, but Stanley Kubrick wasn't familiar with the reference and almost cut it from the final version.
14 The Snowy Maze Near The End Of The Movie Was Made With 900 Tons Of Salt And Crushed Styrofoam
During one of the final scenes of the movie, Jack chases Danny through a terrifying snow-covered hedge-maze. But there was no real snow at the time so the filmmakers needed to improvise. The scene was eventually created using close to 900 tons of salt and crushed Styrofoam, and looked incredibly realistic.
13 The Shot Of A Tennis Ball Rolling Into Danny's Toys Took 50 Takes To Get Just Right
The idea of throwing around the tennis ball inside the Overlook Hotel came from Jack Nicholson. Stanley Kubrick liked the idea so much that he worked it into the script. But, even shooting a tennis ball was tedious work for the crew - it took fifty takes to get the shot of it rolling into Danny's toys.
12 Stanley Kubrick Made The Cast Watch Horror Movies Like The Exorcist To Put Them In The Right Frame Of Mind
To get the cast in the right frame of mind for their scariest scenes, Stanley Kubrick made them all watch horror movies like Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist. He was, however, keen to shield Danny Lloyd from the true nature of the film, and wouldn't allow him on set when more grisly scenes were filmed.
11 Stephen King Wasn't Happy About Shelley Duvall Being Cast As Wendy Torrance
Stephen King had no say when it came to the casting, and it's clear that he wasn't happy when Shelley Duvall was chosen as Wendy. He said that he envisioned the character as spoilt-blonde cheerleader type who'd never had anything bad happen to her and that Duvall looked like the complete opposite.
10 An Eleven Alarm Fire Broke Out One Night Causing Millions Of Dollars Of Damage
Towards the end of filming, a massive fire broke out one night, destroying two soundstages. The cause of the blaze was never determined. Stanley Kubrick seemed to take the disaster in his stride and was even photographed cracking a smile in front of the smoldering buildings. It's more than a little creepy!
9 Stanley Kubrick Spent Five Years Making The Shining
Stanley Kubrick was notorious for his long film production times. Filming for The Shining went on for more than a year and it took him another four years to complete the post-production work. The shot of blood pouring out from the elevators alone took nine days just to set up.
