The Shining turns 45 on May 23, 2025, and to this day, Stephen King’s psychological thriller continues to inspire countless modern horror movies. Jack’s struggle still feels personal to many, and each and every event featured in the film is etched fresh in our memory.
There’s no forgetting the kind of impact The Shining had on its viewers, and that was not because of the supernatural aspect, but because of the disturbing yet engaging character development of the main character, Jack. Of course, the modern horror flicks have better CGI, better costume designs, and better sound designs, but in the end, most of them lack the emotional and mental complexity that The Shining showcased so well with Jack. Forget the horror part, it’s Jack’s mental horror that holds up strong even in 2025.
Jack’s Personal Battles And Insecurities Still Feel Fresh In 2025
In The Shining, Jack is a struggling writer on the brink of financial collapse. Even though he found a means to earn decent money through the Overlook Hotel, the man was still fighting his inner demons. He was a recovering alcoholic who wanted to make it big through writing, but couldn’t. On top of everything, Jack had to take care of his wife, Wendy, and their son, Danny.
Regardless, Jack was ready to put in one last effort in writing, but deep inside, the man couldn’t find any hope or guiding factor. The restlessness, regret, and anger were eating Jack from the inside. And well, this emotional vulnerability made Jack a target for the supernatural. The madness was already residing inside of Jack; the supernatural simply pushed it to come forward and turn against his family. Now, if we look around, most people are holding their past trauma and guilt, which isn’t letting them move on in their lives. That also becomes the reason for their harshness, not towards society, but towards themselves and their loved ones.
The Shining doesn’t hold strong in 2025 because of the supernatural; instead, it’s Jack’s personal struggle that feels relevant to many to this day. The modern audience can relate to the poor man, as it wasn’t only the supernatural that took him down, but it was mainly his personal demons that added to his tragic fate. In that case, I don’t think I need to explain how much pressure the modern world feels. The gradual collapse of Jack’s mental state is something that could be relatable to just anyone who has suffered at the hands of perils like anxiety, depression, and other such perils.
Overlook’s Grip on Jack Feels Uncannily Relevant Today
Jack was addicted to alcohol, which made him hurt his son, Danny, sometime before the main storyline. So, even though he decided to be sober after the incident, the ghostly presence in the Overlook Hotel tempts him with Bourbon one day, making him walk the path again. Addiction remains a common issue in 2025 that doesn’t let one choose sobriety easily, as the external elements play a huge role in its relapse.
Jack, a failed father, husband, and writer, had a very fragile sobriety that could easily be triggered. Overlook not only played with his vulnerabilities, but the supernatural elements also made him isolate himself from everyone. After the COVID-19 pandemic, most corporate offices adopted the Work-from-Home culture, and that made every remotely working employee relate to Jack.
It was Jack’s personal struggles that made him isolate himself from the world, and in modern days, it’s the rather toxic work culture that compels people to work while being isolated from their peers. Modern-day work culture rewards the “Crunch” and makes one feel guilty for not overexerting oneself with work, despite knowing how it all has been and will always affect an employee’s mental state.
The Shining came out in 1980, when no one really cared about mental health, and the reality is that the film showcased its importance, but it remained unnoticed. Jack’s failure added to his anxiety, which eventually made him succumb to the horrors of the haunted hotel. In the modern world, Mental health is getting normalized with people able to talk about it openly, so the audience can now feel what Jack went through, the ghosts of his past, and the ones captured within Overlook’s wall took over his sanity, and the future that he dreamt of with his family.
Kubrick’s Magnum Opus Is Still Unrivaled
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the world, and The Shining was certainly his Magnum Opus. It’s been more than four decades since the release yet The Shining remains a cinematic experience for cinephiles. Even in 2025, when the horror genre has evolved with several movies releasing each year, Kubrick’s masterpiece is still considered a benchmark in the genre.
Not only did it charm the audience and critics when it was released, but The Shining also left an indelible impression on several well-known filmmakers who often incorporate various references from the movie. Famously, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction took a reference from The Shining when it showed Butch pushing the bloodstained bathroom door. More recently, the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Barbie, featured a blink-and-you-miss scene where Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) mentions “Shining” to question the mind-connection between her mother and a Barbie doll.
There have been countless parodies, pop references, and slang referencing The Shining that I know many millennials and Gen Zs who have watched it just to keep up with the trend, and every one of them has claimed it to be ahead of its time. Especially Jack Nicholson’s character, the rage he portrays, and his notorious facial expressions, everything makes the character one that’s worth studying even in 2025.
Shashank Shakya
