Which Film Ruined It? The Shining How Did It Ruin It? Through all work and no play... It would be unsurprising if isolated hotels customer numbers took a significant plummet during The Shinings season in cinema. Stanley Kubricks film freaked out America with his chilling portrait of a mans descent into madness, tearing away the charm of grand hotels and revealing a blood-curdling creepiness within their walls. Jack Nicholsons deranged grin squeezed up against a hacked door has come to be one of the more iconographic moments in American horror cinema. Kubricks protagonist is undoubtedly terrific in the lead role, but the directors hotel remains the films greatest character, with coldness leaking from its décor, and a sense of dread throbbing down every long corridor. The films nefarious reputation and relative old age has seen many of the secrets and plot points spill out into common culture, but it wont be spoiled here for you just in case. If you are planning on finally seeing Kubricks classic, be prepared to accept that visiting a hotel out in the sticks with considerable rustic charm wont be on your agenda for a while. Thats a great testament to scariness of The Shining. After all, a film must be frightening in order to make a travel inn feel like the safer option.