Horror Movie Facts: The Shining & More

What happens when you mix an isolated creepy hotel with spirits that can completely consume the mind? You get Jack Nicholson chasing his family around with an axe screaming bloody murder. In this article, you will learn facts concerning the film, ‘The Shining,’ as well as trivia about Hostel II and Ring II.

The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick is behind the movie adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, which follows the decline of a family who has agreed to take care of the Overlook Hotel , which sits in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Jack Torrence (played by Jack Nicholson) believes this is just the environment needed for him to fuel his creativity. Equipped with a typewriter and minimal distractions (or so it seems), he settles into this isolated getaway with his wife and young son, Danny , who happens to have telepathic gifts.

However, Danny starts to see disturbing images throughout the hotel, including the infamous eerie twin sisters. Jack also undergoes a transformation for the worse and begins to hallucinate as well. He’s struggling with writer’s block and begins to lash out against his family. After a complete mental breakdown, mother and child not only have to survive the demons of the hotel, but also stay alive when Jack becomes murderous in his actions , including the iconic axing of the bathroom door scene.

While Jack’s wife believes her husband is writing a book, she learns that he has spent all of his time repeating the same sentence over and over again: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Director Stanley Kubrick actually had each page individually typed.

During the production of the film, Stanley Kurbick would call Stephen King at 3 a.m. to ask him questions, such as “Do you believe in God?”

Different phrases were used to replace the infamous ” All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” for international versions of the movie. For example, the chosen Italian phrase was “Il mattino ha l’ oro in bocca” (“He who wakes up early meets a golden day”). The French version used “Un ‘Tiens’ vaut mieux que deux ‘Tu l’auras'” (“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”) while the Spanish version highlighted: “No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano” (“Rising early will not make dawn sooner.”).

Trivia concerning other horror movies include:

Hostel II (2007)

The sequel to the popular movie Hostel showed a woman who liked to bath in virgin blood. This character was actually based on a real person. Her name was Elizabeth Bathory and she had earned the nickname of “Blood Countess of Hungary.” It is said that she had taken the lives of more than 600 young peasant girls.

The Ring II (2005)

Capitalizing off of the success of the first film, promoters for The Ring II (which starred Naomi Watts), left copies of the “cursed tape” in public places. Those who picked up the tapes and viewed them at home were then directed to the website of the movie.