The Shining is a 1980 horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. The film is based on Stephen Kings 1977 novel The Shining. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd.The Shining is about Jack Torrance (Nicholson), an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic, who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the isolated historic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. Wintering over with Jack are his wife Wendy Torrance (Duvall) and young son Danny Torrance (Lloyd). Danny possesses the shining, psychic abilities that enable him to see into the hotels horrific past. The hotels cook, Dick Hallorann (Crothers), also has this and is able to telepathically communicate with Danny. The hotel had a previous winter caretaker who went insane and killed his family and himself. After a winter storm leaves the Torrances snowbound, Jacks sanity deteriorates due to the influence of the supernatural forces that inhabit the hotel, placing his wife and son in danger.