Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining premiered in 1980.
The psychological horror film was adapted from Stephen King’s 1977 novel and stars Jack Nicholson as writer Jack Torrance, Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, and Danny Lloyd as their son Danny. The family travels to the isolated Overlook Hotel, where Jack’s mental state deteriorates during the winter season.
The Shining opened in the United States on May 23, 1980. Its production and release followed Kubrick’s highly controlled approach to filmmaking, including extensive studio work and repeated takes. The film is often discussed alongside other landmark horror releases from the late 1970s and early 1980s, but its setting, visual symmetry, and slow-building tension give it a distinctive identity. The film is separate from the later television adaptation and from Doctor Sleep, the 2019 sequel based on King’s novel.