On May 23, 1980, Stanley Kubrick’s seminal horror film The Shining was unleashed upon the world. Adapted from Stephen King’s classic 1977 novel of the same name, The Shining has become known as one of the scariest movies of all time, as well as regarded as one of the best horror films of all time. We all know Stephen King feels about Kubrick’s adaptation of his third novel, but interestingly enough, audience and critical reception were decidedly mixed when the film was first released. We thought we’d take a look back at just what people thought about The Shining back in 1980.
In terms of box office, The Shining would go on to gross $44 million upon in 1980 ($127.8 million in 2016 dollars). Of course, it only made $622,337 its opening weekend. That was only in 10 theaters, which gives it a respectable $62,233.70 per theater average, but when you consider the fact that Friday the 13th grossed $5.8 million when it opened just two weeks prior (though that was in 110x more theaters) it puts it a bit more into perspective. Luckily, the film would go on to earn more than double its $19 million production budget.
Would you believe that The Shining was also nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards? Stanley Kubrick was nominated for Worst Director and Shelley Duvall was nominated for Worst Actress (something Stephen King was probably not too upset about). In fact, The Shining was the only one out the last nine films that Kubrick made not to be nominated for an Academy Award or a Golden Globe. It seems almost impossible to believe now, but The Shining was once critically maligned by many critics.
Variety agreed with King’s perception of the film, stating that it “destroy[ed] all that was so terrifying about Stephen King’s bestseller.” The Guardian wrote that “If The Shining isn’t trivial, it certainly encourages one to think that it is.” Gary Arnold of The Washington Post went on to describe it as an “elaborately ineffective scare movie.” What is fascinating about his review is that he points out that trailer for the film gives away its best money shot (the blood coming out of the elevator doors), showing that even in 1980, people were pissy about trailers showing all the good stuff.
Not all reviews were so negative, however. Janet Maslin of the The New York Times gave the film a positive review, though she did mention that “the film’s climactic chase virtually fizzles out before it reaches a resolution.” Roger Ebert, who failed to review the film upon its initial release would go back to the film in 2006 and add it to his list of “Great Movies.”
Of course, we all know that The Shining is a fantastic film, right? Truth be told, The Shining was always one of my least favorite Stephen King novels (I’m so sorry Mr. King. If we ever meet please don’t hold that against me). I’m more of a Misery guy myself, but perhaps my general animosity toward’s King’s novel is why I love Kubrick’s film version so much. King was right when he described the film as “cold” and that’s what makes it such an effective and (sorry) chilling horror film.
What are your thoughts on The Shining? Do your negative thoughts on the film now feel validated by knowing that not everyone adores the film? Or do find the film to be the classic it is so often claimed to be? Either way, give the film a re-watch on its 36th birthday today, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!