Making 'The Shining'

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Hi. I've got an appointment

with Mr. Ullman.

My name is Jack Torrance.

His office is the first door

on the left.

Thank you.

Mr. Ullman?

I'm Jack Torrance.

Come on in, Jack.

-Very nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

This is my secretary, Susie.

-Susie, how do you do?

-Any trouble finding us?

No problem at all.

I made the trip in 3 1/2 hours.

That's very good time.

Sit down a minute, Jack.

Just make yourself at home.

Like some coffee?

If you're having some,

I wouldn't mind. Thanks.

-Susie.

-Sure.

And ask Bill Watson to join us.

Yes, I will.

Mom?

Yeah?

Do you really want to go and live

in that hotel for the winter?

Sure I do.

It'll be lots of fun.

Yeah. I guess so.

Anyway, there's hardly anybody

to play with around here.

I know. It always takes

a little time to make new friends.

Yeah, I guess so.

What about Tony?

He's looking forward

to the hotel, I bet.

No, I ain't, Mrs. Torrance.

Now, come on, Tony.

Don't be silly.

I don't want to go there.

How come you don't want to go?

I just don't.

Let's just wait and see.

We're all going to have

a real good time.

Bill, I'd like you

to meet Jack Torrance.

How do you do, Bill?

-Nice to meet you.

-Pleasure to meet you.

Grab a chair, Bill. Join in.

Jack is going to take care of

the Overlook for us this winter.

I'd like you to take him around

soon as we're through.

Fine.

Jack is a schoolteacher.

Formerly a schoolteacher.

What line of work are you in now?

I'm a writer.

Teaching's been more or less

a way of making ends meet.

This ought to be

quite a change for you.

I'm looking for a change.

Our people in Denver recommended

Jack very highly, and for once...

...I agree with them.

Let's see, where were we?

I was about to explain...

...that our season here runs from

May 15th to October 30th.

Then we close down completely

until the following May.

Do you mind if I ask

why you do that?

It seems to me that the skiing

up here would be fantastic.

It would be. The problem is

the enormous cost...

...it would be to keep

the road to Sidewinder open.

It's a 25-mile stretch of road.

It gets 20 feet of snow

during the winter.

There's just no way to make it

economically feasible...

...to keep it clear.

When the place was built in 1907...

...there was very little interest

in winter sports.

This site was chosen for its

seclusion and scenic beauty.

It's certainly got

plenty of that.

That's right.

Did they give you

any idea in Denver...

...about what the job entails?

Only in a very general way.

The winters can be

fantastically cruel.

The basic idea is to cope

with the very costly damage...

...and depreciation

which can occur.

This consists mainly

of running the boiler...

...heating different parts of the

hotel on a daily rotating basis...

...repairing damage as it occurs...

...and doing repairs so the

elements can't get a foothold.

That sounds fine to me.

Physically, it's not

a very demanding job.

The only thing that can get a bit

trying here during the winter...

...is a tremendous sense

of isolation.

That just happens to be

exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm outlining a new

writing project.

Five months of peace

is just what I want.

That's very good, Jack.

Because, for some people...

...solitude...

...and isolation...

...can, of itself, become a problem.

Not for me.

How about your wife and son?

Do you think they'll take to it?

They'll love it.

Great.

Before I turn you over to Bill...

...there's one other thing I think

we should talk about.

Not to sound melodramatic...

...but it's been known to

give a few people...

...second thoughts about the job.

I'm intrigued.

I don't suppose they

said anything in Denver...

...about the tragedy we had up here

during the winter of 1970.

I don't believe they did.

My predecessor in this job...

...hired a man named Charles Grady

as the winter caretaker.

He came up with his wife and

He had a good employment record,

good references.

And from what I've been told,

he seemed...

...like a completely

normal individual.

But at some point

during the winter...

...he must have suffered some kind

of a complete mental breakdown.

He ran amuck...

...and killed his family

with an ax.

Stacked them neatly in a room

in the west wing, and then...

...he put both barrels

of his shotgun in his mouth.

The police thought...

...that it was what the old-timers

used to call cabin fever.

A kind of claustrophobic reaction

which can occur...

...when people are shut in together

over long periods of time.

That is...

...quite a story.

Yeah, it is.

It's still hard for me to believe

it actually happened here.

But it did.

I think you can appreciate

why I wanted to tell you about it.

I certainly can.

I also understand

why your people in Denver...

...left it for you to tell me.

Obviously, some people

can be put off...

...from staying in a place where

something like that happened.

You can rest assured that's not

going to happen with me.

And as far as my wife

is concerned...

...Im sure she'll be absolutely

fascinated when I tell her.

She's a confirmed ghost story...

...and horror film addict.

Tony, do you think

Dad'll get the job?

He already did.

He's going to phone Wendy up

in a few minutes to tell her.

-Hi, babe.

-Hi, hon. How's it going?

Great. I'm at the hotel and

I still have a lot to go through.

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