10 Deleted Scenes That Radically Change Famous Films
7. The Shining's Ending Was Almost Even Weirder
Stanley Kubrick was a perfectionist. The visionary director was notorious for his attention to detail, planning all of his productions for months (if not years) in advance, doing upwards of a hundred takes for everyday scenes, visiting cinemas prior to the release of his films to make sure all the equipment was up to snuff, that sort of thing. And yet he managed to release The Shining into cinemas with an epilogue that he swiftly removed after a week and which nobody who wasn't there at opening weeks has seen to this day.
After the shot of Jack Nicholson frozen, and then that mind-bending shot of him standing in the crowd in a sepia-toned photo from the twenties, there was a little coda involving Danny and Wendy at hospital. Stuart Ullman, the owner of the Overlook Hotel who hired Jack to be the winter caretaker, shows up to express his sincere condolences. He also informs Wendy that nothing untoward or supernatural was found in the police search, then gives her Jacks yellow tennis ball - the implication being he knew the hotel was haunted, and hired Jack purposefully to go crazy and kill them. Well.