When The Shining was released in 1980, it was one of the scariest films ever made.

However, author Steven King notoriously hated director Stanley Kubrick’s version of the story, which is possibly why the sequel, Doctor Sleep, has not yet made it onto the big screen.

Jack Nicholson was a star in his own right before the film, having won an Academy Award for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Since 1980 The Shining has grossed over $44 million, which is modest by today’s standards, but is a massive achievement for a film released over thirty years ago. Nicholson went on to enjoy a wildly successful career, but what became of the other actors?

Shelley Duvall, who played Wendy Torrance in a role that Stephen King described as a misogynistic version of the character, has not appeared on screen since 2002. She has enjoyed some success after The Shining, working alongside Drew Barrymore and taking cameo roles on shows such as Frasier.

Despite being one of the most famous films of all time, and inspiring hundreds of horror movies in the same vein, the film did not receive a single award nomination. At the time it was labelled a ‘silly ghost story’. Kubrick’s interpretation was like Marmite, and it seems that enough people hated it that all he received for his efforts was a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director.

Danny Lloyd, who played Danny Torrance, the child who possesses the gift of ‘The Shining’ gave up acting in 1982, and is now a professor of Biology in Kentucky.

The cult following of the film can be seen in the amount of art and memorabilia that is still being created. The famous ‘Here’s Johnny’ scene has become a popular theme for pop art – so much so that movie fans can even find wallpaper of the famous scene available.

Door keys for the haunted room at the Overlook Hotel, room 237, can be purchased on eBay, and non-deadly replicas of the famous axe are available from Prop Store.

These commemorations show the lasting legacy of The Shining – how many other non-franchise films are still selling memorabilia after nearly 40 years? The image of Jack Nicholson hacking down a door will remain immortal, and inspire many more horror films to come.