Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece, The Shining, is endlessly mimicked, quoted, and outright copied. When the Stephen King adaptation isn't being poked at by South Park or The Simpsons, it's influencing genre filmmakers. As recently as The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, movies have been referencing Kubrick's classic.
As such an effective horror film (despite Stephen King's feeling otherwise), The Shining has a number of classic scenes that serve as both nightmare fuel and creativity fuel. Some wear their reverence on their sleeves, while others operate with more subtlety, but movies have been inspired in some way by Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
There is a direct reference to The Shining in Columbia Pictures' adaptation of the mobile game phenomenon. One scene in The Angry Birds Movie features two pigs dressed up in an obvious homage to the iconic Grady twins. To further cement the reference, they utter the phrase, "Redrum."
The plot follows Red: a bird with a temper. Things get worse when a large group of green pigs moves onto his island. With the help of his new friends, Chuck and Bomb, Red must find out the reason behind this sudden swarm.
Hide And Seek (2005)
This mid-aughts horror film was a very clear derivation of King's tale. While the presence of Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning inspired hope for something original or, at least entertaining, many felt they got neither and it scores a low 13% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
After the death of his wife, psychologist David Callaway (De Niro) takes his daughter to a house in the country. When she begins talking about an imaginary friend named Charlie, David slowly comes to a horrible realization. This parallels the central story in The Shining with both the isolated location and the theme of children making a connection with an unknown presence.
Ready Player One (2018)
Stephen Spielberg's Ready Player One not only draws inspiration from The Shining, but it also has a scene taking place in the Overlook Hotel. While Spielberg's adaptation features just as many cinematic references as the source material, the homage to Kubrick's film stands as the most elaborate and one of Ready Player One's most effective 3D scenes.
The narrative takes place in 2045 when virtual reality has become popularized in the form of OASIS. When the creator of OASIS passes on, he leaves the digital keys to the kingdom hidden in the virtual world. It's up to Wade Watts, a young dreamer, to win a contest and hold the keys for himself.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
The Doctor Sleep adaptation essentially captures the tone of both King's original novel (of The Shining) and Kubrick's adaptation. King notoriously detests Kubrick's adaptation, so this sequel toed the line by emulating both. The result is a rewatchable and well-constructed King adaptation.
The plot follows a grown-up Dan Torrance, now an alcoholic just like his father. With the assistance of an in-danger, telekinetic teen, Dan must take on a dangerous cult called the True Knot.
The Witch (2015)
A welcome party for both director Robert Eggers and star Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch evokes feelings of Kubrick's film via its intense focus on a struggling family. While the settings couldn't be more different (a lavish hotel vs. a New England farm), The Shining's dread is very much present in this A24 horror movie.
The plot follows a Puritan family in the 1630s. When strange occurrences begin, starting with the death of one of their children, the family comes to realize there's evil in the woods just beyond their home.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse is eerie in the same way as Kubrick's labyrinthine creation. With a limited cast (essentially just two men throughout the runtime) and a remote setting, both films could easily serve as companion pieces to one another. The Lighthouse is another example of an A24 horror film that embraces the slow burn present in Kubrick's film.
This movie, based on a legend, follows two lighthouse keepers (Willem Dafoe & Robert Pattinson) as their sanity and tether to reality devolves on a remote New England island.
Misery (1990)
It's hard to imagine Rob Reiner not having been inspired by fellow King adaptor Stanley Kubrick's long takes. One scene in Misery shows Paul Sheldon (James Caan) rolling himself down the hall. He moves cautiously, desperate to avoid leaving any signs for his insane captor to detect. The tense mood of the scene, along with the camera movement down the halls, makes Misery feel even more related to The Shining than it already is.
The plot follows a famous novelist, recovering from a car crash in the house of a fan. Soon, though, the fan begins showing increasing displays of erratic obsession.
Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster's Hereditary is another recent horror outing that is blatantly influenced by the visual style and emotional themes present in Kubrick's film. While Hereditary can occasionally go even further when it comes to pushing boundaries (i.e. the death of a child onscreen), like The Shining, it never devolves to gratuity.
The film follows the Graham family, recovering from the death of the commanding and mysterious matriarch. After the death of another member, the family begins experiencing symptoms of possession.
Toy Story (1995)
Lee Unkrich, the longtime Pixar filmmaker, is a diehard fan of The Shining. Eagle-eyed viewers can figure this much out for themselves if they watch the original Toy Story. The same carpet that is seen in the Overlook Hotel is seen in the home of Andy and his mom.
The plot follows Woody, an action figure who must contend with the newest action figure on the block, space cadet Buzz Lightyear.
The Thing (1982)
It would be difficult to deny that John Carpenter's The Thing took some inspiration from Kubrick's film. Even if just for the minimalist score that evokes memories of the Overlook Hotel, The Thing feels like it could be The Shining's equally isolated, dread-filled cousin.
The plot follows a group of research scientists stationed in a remote portion of Antarctica. After taking in a runaway dog, and shooting the man trying to kill it, an alien infestation begins to take over the station.