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Lost Ending For Kubrick’s The Shining Uncovered

kubrick

From Pixar filmmaker to film historian, it’s a great day to be director Lee Unkrich, and in turn, one hell of a day to be a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. 

Apparently, according to Slate, the director and Kubrick fansite runner (he runs the site The Overlook Hotel) has discovered a lost ending to the beloved Kubrick horror picture, and it’s quite an interesting bit of history.

When the film was originally shipped to theaters, it was two minutes longer than its current runtime, and now we know what the hell he had decided to snip. The film was to end with a scene in a hospital, revealing that Jack’s body hadn’t been discovered, ending with Danny being given a tennis ball. Talk about creepy as all get out. Fade to black, and the film would conclude with a title card stating that the Overlook is still standing, and that it’s overcome this event and all of the tragedies prior.

Unkrich has the full script, and now, the final scene is available to be read here. Personally, I think the film is already a stunning piece of work, but while this original ending sounds a tad silly, I think it would have worked just as fine. It’s a bit more clichéd and “twist” focused, but it would have been a fine conclusion to an absolute masterpiece.

Source Slate / The Playlist

Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.