Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Shining

Play trailer 0:30 Poster for The Shining R 1980 2h 23m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 177 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Shining

The Shining

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Though it deviates from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness -- exemplified by an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Arthur Knight The Hollywood Reporter 5 days ago
Nicholson is obviously having the time of his life. I wonder if everyone else will. Go to Full Review Jack Kroll Newsweek 6 days ago
Kubrick builds this two-hour-and-twenty-minute crescendo of terror with a mastery that is itself more than a bit demonic. He not only gets the horror, he gets the perverse beauty of horror -- a major achievement. Go to Full Review Dean Johnson Orlando Sentinel 6 days ago
4/4
If The Shining isn't Kubrick's most intelligent movie, it offers us a couple of hours in the presence of genius -- and this time around, the genius seems to be having great fun. Go to Full Review Jeff Simon Buffalo News 6 days ago
What one could have suspected in A Clockwork Orange and has been reasonably convinced of in Barry Lyndon becomes a certainty in The Shining: Kubrick no longer knows what to do with his own genius. Go to Full Review Jack Garner Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 6 days ago
Kubrick's Shining may be occasionally illogical or surrealistic, or even muddled -- but so are your nightmares, and so are the minds of the insane. Those are Kubrick's terms for this movie. Accept them and you'll be riding a haunting whirlwind of terror. Go to Full Review Ginger Varney L.A. Weekly 6 days ago
Watching Kubrick's movie is like witnessing an amputation at a long remove. You don't know it's your own arm being cut off 'til you start feeling the shock -- in the severed nerves. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Tom 2 days ago love this film, they don't make em like this anymore See more Luke Oct 5, 2026 All work and no play make Jack a dull boy See more Doc Halloween Oct 5, 2026 1st time seeing the movie in the theater. Didn’t disappoint. See more Color Oct 4, 2026 Beyond classic, a true work of art See more Emmanuel Oct 3, 2026 It’s just a classic horror movie that everyone should watch once in their life. See more Andres Oct 3, 2026 Although it is a lengthy feature, everyone can appreciate the wonderful performances from the movie’s three main leads. Watching closely you can see how movies of today’s era borrow from The Shining’s ingenuity and iconic moments. Great composition and atmosphere See more Read all reviews
The Shining

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Stanley Kubrick

Director

Jack Nicholson

Jack Torrance

Shelley Duvall

Wendy Torrance

Danny Lloyd

Danny

Scatman Crothers

Hallorann

Barry Nelson

Ullman

More Like This

View All
Cujo 60% 46% Cujo Watchlist Children of the Corn 38% 40% Children of the Corn Watchlist TRAILER for Children of the Corn Psycho II 66% 63% Psycho II Watchlist The Fog 77% 65% The Fog Watchlist Madman 30% 36% Madman Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
View All

The Shining

The Shining (1980) Presented by TCM: Fathom Events Trailer The Shining (1980) Presented by TCM: Fathom Events Trailer 0:30 Now Playing View more videos
View All

The Shining

A scene from the film "The Shining." A scene from the film "The Shining." A scene from the film "The Shining." A scene from the film "The Shining." A scene from the film "The Shining." A scene from the film "The Shining." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Producer
Robert Fryer, Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter
Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Producers Circle, Peregrine, Warner Brothers, Hawk Films
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 23, 1980, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 2025
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2008
Runtime
2h 23m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings