The Shining is indisputably one of the best horror movies of all time. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, who is also known for thriller movies like A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining was a career-defining role for both Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, who played a married couple on-screen.
Based on the novel by Stephen King, The Shining follows the Torrance family after writer Jack (Jack Nicholson) decides to become a caretaker for the Overlook Hotel.
But after his son Danny (Danny Lloyd) begins to experience frightening premonitions, Jack discovers some disturbing secrets about the hotel and begins to lose his sanity, leading to deadly consequences for his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall).
Before he was an actor, it’s well-known that Jack Nicholson was actually a firefighter, meaning he was more than used to breaking down doors. In fact, he was a little too good at breaking through those doors with an axe, meaning that in that iconic scene where he gets to Duvall, Kubrick ended up replacing the fake door with a real one so it wouldn’t break as easily.
In a Tweet by the official Stanley Kubrick Twitter account, it’s revealed that no less than 60 doors were destroyed creating the “Here’s Johnny” scene. Even then, getting that perfect “Here’s Johnny” shot took some time, with the scene taking three days to film, during which Nicholson broke down a total of sixty doors.
If you’ve already had your fill of The Shining this spooky season, check out our guide to the best Netflix horror movies.