The Shining's Iconic Scene Took 127 Takes

The grueling process behind one of horror's most famous scenes reveals the intense methods of director Stanley Kubrick. The sequence, which took three days to film, was a challenge for both the actors and the props department. Initially, the crew used a prop door designed to break easily, but Jack Nicholson, having once worked as a volunteer firefighter, was too efficient at chopping through it. They were forced to switch to a much sturdier, real door, which had to be replaced after each of the dozens of takes, pushing the actor and crew to their physical limits. Kubrick's goal was to achieve a state of genuine, raw exhaustion and terror, particularly from actress Shelley Duvall.

Amidst this controlled chaos, the scene's most memorable line was a moment of pure improvisation. Nicholson spontaneously shouted "Here's Johnny!", a direct quote from Ed McMahon's nightly introduction of talk show host Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show." The line was a massive pop culture reference in America at the time, but Kubrick, who had lived in England for years, was unfamiliar with it and nearly cut the take. He was ultimately convinced of its chilling, unhinged power, which contrasted a friendly, familiar catchphrase with an act of terrifying violence. The apathetic delivery born of Nicholson's exhaustion, combined with the genuine fear on Duvall's face, created an iconic cinematic moment that was the product of both meticulous planning and spontaneous genius.