Iconic 'The Shining' Final Shot Photo Found After 45 Years

Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of The Shining boasts one of the most iconic final shots in cinematic history: a haunting photograph from the Overlook Hotel’s 1921 Fourth of July ball, featuring Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) prominently, despite him not being born yet. The image used in the film was a manipulated version of a real photograph, which had faded into obscurity—until now. After 45 years since the film's release, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has finally been discovered.

Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, shared the journey of finding the image on Getty's Instagram. He explained, "Following the earlier identification by facial recognition software of the unknown man in the photograph at the end of The Shining as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer, I can reveal that the photo was one of three taken by the Topical Press Agency at a St. Valentine's Day Ball on February 14, 1921, at the Empress Rooms, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington." The post also showcased a new scan from the original glass-plate negative, along with other supporting handwritten documents.

Spark, along with New York Times staffer Arick Toller and numerous dedicated Redditors, embarked on an extensive search to locate the image. He recounted the challenges they faced, saying, "It was starting to seem impossible, every cross-reference to Casani failed to match. Other likely places that were suggested didn’t match. There were some places we could not find images for and we started to fear that meant the photo might be lost to history, and never be found."

Spark further elaborated that on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson that was superimposed over Casani for the film, had mentioned sourcing the picture from the BBC Hulton Library. Aware that Hulton acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty later took over in 1991, Spark decided to delve into the agency’s vast collection of images. Their efforts paid off when they found that the image was licensed to Hawk Films, Kubrick’s production company, on October 10, 1978, for use in The Shining.

Spark concluded, "Joan Smith had said the photo dated from 1923. Stanley Kubrick had said 1921 and he was correct. The photo doesn’t show any of the celebrities I had speculated on — the Trix Sisters for instance — nor the bankers, financiers or presidents others like Rob Ager have imagined there. No devil worshippers either. Nobody was composited into it except Jack Nicholson. It shows a group of ordinary London people on a Monday evening. 'All the best people,' as the manager of the Overlook Hotel said."

This discovery should delight fans of The Shining. Stephen King's novel was first published in 1977 and has been adapted into two notable versions: Kubrick’s iconic film and the 1997 miniseries directed by horror maestro Mick Garris, which stayed true to the book.