Behind the Scenes of ‘The Shining’: 5 Intriguing Film Facts

Delve into the mysterious world of ‘The Shining,’ one of the most iconic horror films of all time, with these five fascinating behind-the-scenes facts.

1. The iconic “Here’s Johnny” line from The Shining actually originated from The Johnny Carson Show. When Jack Nicholson spontaneously delivered the line during filming, director Stanley Kubrick almost chose another take, as he didn’t catch the reference since he had been residing in England.

2. During the filming of the well-known scene in ‘The Shining’, the production team initially used a fake door for Jack Nicholson to break through. However, they were forced to switch to a real door because Jack, who had previous experience as a Fire Marshall, broke through the fake one too effortlessly.

3. In the making of ‘The Shining’, director Stanley Kubrick deliberately distanced himself from Shelley Duvall and frequently engaged in arguments with her. Duvall had to endure 127 takes of the intense and draining baseball bat scene. As a result of the immense stress she experienced during filming, she even showed Kubrick clumps of her hair that had fallen out.

4. While Stephen King was inspired to create “The Shining” in a Colorado hotel that was slated for demolition, and the 1980 Kubrick adaptation took place in the same state, the movie’s exterior shots of the Overlook Hotel were actually captured at the historic Timberline Lodge in Oregon, situated near Mt. Hood. The lodge management asked Stanley Kubrick to avoid using room #217 from the book in the film, fearing it might discourage potential guests from staying there. As a result, Kubrick opted to use a made-up room number, #237, in the movie.

5. Danny Lloyd, the young actor who portrayed Danny in ‘The Shining,’ was carefully shielded by director Stanley Kubrick throughout the filming process. As a result, he remained unaware that he was part of a horror film until several years later. Since then, Danny has left acting behind and pursued a career as a science teacher.

Bonus fact: Stanley Kubrick received a nomination for “Worst Director” for ‘The Shining’ at the inaugural Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies. The “honor” ultimately went to the director of ‘Xanadu.’ On two occasions, the Golden Raspberry Awards have made retractions. Bruce Willis’s Raspberry nomination was withdrawn upon discovering he was battling aphasia, while Shelley Duvall’s nomination was retracted in light of Kubrick’s mistreatment of her during the filming of ‘The Shining.’