The Shining

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? - Yes.

- I'm Jack Torrance. - Come on in, Jack.

- Very nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

- This is my secretary, Susie. - Hello.

- 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.

Mum?

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.

Well, 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?

Lt seems to me that the skiing up here would be fantastic.

Lt 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.

Lt 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.

Well...

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.

Well, 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.

Well...

My predecessor in this job...

hired a man named Charles Grady as the winter caretaker.

He came up with his wife and two little girls of about 8 and 10.

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 axe.

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.

Wow.

That is...

quite a story.

Yeah, it is.

It's still hard for me to believe it actually happened here.

But it did.

And...

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...

I'm 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.

Hello.

- Hi, babe. - Hi, hon. How's it going?

Great. I'm at the hotel and I still have a lot to go through.

I don't think I can get home before 9:00 or 10:00.

Sounds like you got the job.

Right. It's a beautiful place.

You and Danny are going to love it.

Tony, why don't you want to go to the hotel?

I don't know.

You do too know. Now come on, tell me.

I don't want to.

Please.

No.

Now, Tony, tell me.

Now, hold your eyes still so I can see.

That's good. Now the other one.

Good boy.

Now, Danny...

when you were brushing your teeth...

do you remember if you smelled anything funny...

or saw any bright, flashing lights or anything at all strange?

No.

Do you remember when you were brushing your teeth?

Yes.

What's the next thing you remember after you were brushing your teeth?

My mum was saying, "Wake up. Wake up, Danny, wake up."

Now, Danny, can you remember what you were doing...

just before you started brushing your teeth?

Talking to Tony.

Is Tony one of your animals?

No. He's a little boy that lives in my mouth.

Tony's his imaginary friend.

If you were to open your mouth now, could I see Tony?

No.

Why not?

Because he hides.

Where does he go?

To my stomach.

Does Tony ever tell you to do things?

I don't want to talk about Tony any more.

Okay.

That's fine.

All right, Danny.

I'm going to ask you to do me a favour...

and stay quietly in bed for the rest of the day. Okay?

Do I have to?

Yes. I'd like you to.

We're going in the other room for a few minutes and talk.

I'll come back and check on you.

- Okay. - Bye.

- Shall we go into the living room? - Yes.

- Please. - Thank you.

Mrs. Torrance, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I'm quite sure there's nothing physically wrong with Danny.

Yeah?

He seems absolutely fine now.

But you should've seen him.