Celebrate 40 years of ‘The Shining’ by embracing the horrors of isolation

Come play with us — from a safe, six-feet distance with precautionary face coverings, please.

On May 23, 1980, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining hit theaters for the first time. 40 years later, it’s renowned as one of the most chilling chapters in horror history, a masterful blend of supernatural and psychological terror so timeless even the Overlook Hotel’s carpeting is iconic. 

Of course, on this particular anniversary, the story of a struggling writer and his family self-isolating for a winter of productivity only to slowly descend into a murderous nightmare feels especially haunting. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people everywhere have been forced to cope with the mental and physical consequences of solitude. 

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That means special screenings, costume parties, visits to your local hedge maze, and whatever other spooky plans you may have had to celebrate The Shining’s big Four Zero have likely been canceled. But if Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance taught us anything, it’s that families can get past any obstacle if they just put down the bat and work together! 

So, as an act of goodwill on this most hallowed of holidays, we’ve come up with five safe ways for horror fans to celebrate The Shining from home. Because 237 was way too many.

5. Have yourself a glass of scotch (or a bowl of ice cream)