Take 2: The Shining
Posted on Jun 13, 2025 by Admin
A definitive horror film that continues to intrigue audiences, The Shining is revered for its innovation and attention to detail. We revisit its set design and cinematography
Words Katie Kasperson | Images Warner Bros
Famously hated by Stephen King, The Shining – adapted, however loosely, from King’s horror novel of the same name – initially drew critics’ disdain too. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the 1980 film opened the same weekend as The Empire Strikes Back and faced lukewarm reception at best; yet in the 45 years since its release, it has come to be considered a classic.
The Shining takes place primarily at the fictional Overlook Hotel, where Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) are staying for the winter. Its interior was modelled after the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park and exterior after the Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, Oregon. While these sites were replicated at EMI Elstree Studios near London, the title credits feature aerial footage from Glacier National Park, Montana, adding to the film’s distinct Americana feel.
The film was one of the first to incorporate the Steadicam, with its inventor Garrett Brown playing a huge role in the production. This then-nascent stabilisation tech allowed the operator to follow Danny around on his tricycle, for instance, and gave the film the fluidity it’s known for. Brown and cinematographer John Alcott, BSC used the Steadicam throughout, positioning it just behind the characters to step into their perspectives.
While The Shining is considered a ghost story – named after Danny’s clairvoyance called ‘shining’ – Kubrick’s version leans more towards cabin fever. The film’s iconography includes his trademark ‘Kubrick stare’ – an indicator that the main character is descending into madness – as well as his penchant for symmetry and slow zooms.
The Shining’s most chilling shot is arguably its last – also a slow zoom, creating an eerie effect – revealing a photograph of Jack from 1921, almost 60 years earlier. King has claimed that time ceases to exist inside the Overlook, making it seem as though the characters have been and will be there forever, and the film clearly also explores this idea. Only a few short weeks ago, the original photograph – onto which Nicholson’s face was edited – was located in the Getty Images Hulton Archive (formerly the BBC Hulton Library). The photo was in fact taken in 1921 at the Royal Palace Hotel in Kensington, London.
While it’s considered an all-around masterpiece, The Shining’s production design sets it apart. Red appears in almost every frame, whether in a set piece (the elevator doors, speakeasy bathroom), a prop (Danny’s Big Wheel, the key to Room 237) or a costume (Danny’s sweater, Wendy’s winter coat). There’s an incredible attention to detail in the set’s construction and dressing, inviting continued analysis and keeping the film culturally alive.
What began as Kubrick’s ‘worst’ film has become one of his greatest achievements. Originally undervalued (and not helped by King’s reaction), The Shining set the bar for elevated horror, offering a masterclass in building tension and setting tone. Today, it’s classed as an all-time great – a frontrunner in Kubrick’s impressive filmography.
We also take a second look at Disney’s The Lion King.
This article appears in the May/June 2025 issue of Definition
