The Shining Movie Facts, Easter Eggs and hidden details
36 of the most interesting The Shining easter eggs you didn't know about. Handpicked and verified, these little-known hidden details can be obscure enough most people will miss. These behind the scene easter eggs and hidden messages will give you another view of The Shining movie message.
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Genre
Drama, Horror
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Stars
Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
IMDB score
8.4
The Shining Movie Trivia
Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) wiggles his finger when his "alternate personality" Tony speaks through him. This concept was actually thought up by Danny, who did it in his first audition for the part at the age of 4
To get Jack Nicholson in the right agitated mood, he was only fed cheese sandwiches for two weeks, which he hates.
The Shining Movie Easter Eggs
These devil and angel symbolism's in Stanley Kubricks masterpiece The Shining (1980)
Makes a reference to Nosferatu (1922)
- "All work and no play..." has double meaning as Jack is working at the Overlook Hotel, in part to finish a play he is writing.
"While they're driving up to the hotel, the 'Dies Irae' theme is playing, which traditionally symbolizes a day of reckoning or wrath."
Danny Lloyd (Danny in The Shining (1980)) has a cameo in Doctor Sleep (2019). He's the one in the blue cap who says the kid seems like he can read the pitcher's mind.
the film "Blade Runner" (1982) Tyrell is played by Joe Turkel who also played the bartender in "The Shining" (1980). This is because the bar and Tyrell's studio were actually filmed on the same set.
Tony the Tiger appears to be spying on Jack and Wendy. Tony is also the name of Danny's "imaginary" friend.
Accuracy details in The Shining
Stanley Kubrick's camera angle reinforces Jack's feeling of mental imbalance. "Oh God, I'm losing my mind."
Costume details in The Shining
Jack is clearly reading a PlayGirl magazine in the lobby of the Overlook
The Shining movie hidden details
During the scene where Jack yells at Wendy for bothering him during his writing, there is a chair in the background that disappears momentarily between cuts. This was an intentional move by Kubrick to make you feel unsettled during the scene, without knowing exactly why.
Is inspired by the Swedish movie The Phantom Carriage (1921) [Video in comments]
Wendy tells the doctor that Jack hasn't had a drink since he hurt Danny. When the bar appears to Jack, he drinks to "five miserable months on the wagon" but later says his hurting Danny was "three goddamn years ago," implying he was secretly drinking for years.
During the scene where Jack Torrance breaks down the door with an axe a prop door was initially used, but because Jack Nicholson who had worked as a volunteer Firefighter broke the door down too easily, a real door was used instead
Jack has a scrapbook with newspaper articles on the history of the Overlook sitting on his desk. Later he tells Grady that he recognizes his face because it was in the paper. The scrapbook plays a much larger role in the book, but this is a fun throwaway reference
You can see this TV Danny is watching is completely wireless even though technology at the time wasn't that advanced. It's one of the first clues that things are not as them seem at The Overlook Hotel.
A scene has Wendy bring Jack breakfast in bed. In the reflection of the mirror we see that Jack's T-shirt says "Stovington" on it. While not mentioned in the film, this is the name of the school that Jack used to teach at in the novel. (copied from @41Strange)
The scene where Jack talks to Delbert Grady in a discussion of who the Caretaker is, you can see that Jack's eyes are looking in the same direction towards the mirrors, indicating that he is talking to himself and that he is losing his sanity.
The Shining, when Jack takes his first drink, he makes the same face as when he dies
The spot where Danny Torrance left his teddy bear in the hallway is where Dick Halloran gets murdered by Jack.
Danny watches the movie Summer of '42 on a TV that is not plugged in
When Wendy discovers Jack's manuscript, the "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" line sometimes appears as "All work and no play makes Jack ADULT boy".
Jack walks by and looks at the bat Wendy would later use against him
Before the scene with Jack and Grady in the bathroom, you can see a bloody handprint on the woman's dress.
Jack Torrance can be seen reading an issue of Playgirl magazine that contains an article about incest, one of many clues that Jack sexually abuses Danny
Danny (Tony) is seen watching a roadrunner and Wile E Coyote cartoon, foreshadowing the chase scene in the hedge maze in which Danny outsmarts his father during the evasion.
Jack Nicholson's tie pattern resembles the maze near the end.
Adult twin sisters with long brown hair are seen leaving the hotel and even say goodbye to the man showing Jack and Wendy around the hotel. (Video of relevant portion in comments)
During The Scene Where Jack Sells his Soul to Lloyd the Bartender, He Briefly Looks At the Camera and Smirks Right After He Says "It Could Have Happened To Anybody" Before Continuing On With His Diatribe.
Dick Hallorann initially opens the fridge door to the right, but in the next scene, the door is shown to be open to his left. This was possibly done to indicate the mystical ability of the hotel and as part of a mirroring technique that is used throughout the film.
- Before the "All work and no play" reveal, when Jack continues typing you hear *click* *double click* *deep click* which corresponds with typing out "ALL (spacebar)" 2:48
Today is the day Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980) would have been able to leave the Overlook Hotel and give up being the caretaker for the winter. But...well we know what happened instead
Kubrick foreshadows the death of the cook Halloran in the first half hour, by placing a black doll on the floor (to the left of Jack)
the movie "the shining" jack busts the right panel with the famous line .. here's Johny but 5 seconds later both door panels are gone
The first time we see Danny and the infamous Bear scene are identical. This is one of many visual cues hinting Danny is sexually abused.