10 Horror Movie Performances That Proved EVERYONE Wrong

The Shining is unanimously agreed upon by critics to be one of the greatest horror films ever made.

Based on Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation sees Jack Torrance, portrayed by Jack Nicholson, slowly lose his grip on his sanity after accepting a job as a caretaker and moving his family into a hotel haunted by ghostly forces. Factor in the minor detail that the previous caretaker murdered his own family before taking his own life and the scene is set for a macabre showdown.

What many do not know however, is that when Kubrick pitched the idea of Nicholson, his first choice for the role of Torrance, to Stephen King, the author instantly rejected the idea out of hand. The author felt that Nicholson's previous performance in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest meant that audiences would have a pre conceived perception of him as mentally unstable from the get go, damaging the tone of the film.

Kubrick persevered however, and thankfully so. Nicholson produced an unforgettable performance as the recovering alcoholic writer as he descends into absolutely unhinged madness. His immortal "Here's Johnny" line and demonic grin as he manically chops through a bathroom door with a fire axe has been a staple of pop culture since the film debuted.

Not too shabby for someone rejected out of hand by the man who literally wrote the story.