10 Great Pop-Culture Homages to ‘The Shining’

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What would you want in a sequel to The Shining? A grown-up Danny Torrance’s return to the Overlook Hotel? Tony-the-index-finger’s escape from an insane asylum? A tribe of psychic energy-sucking vampires on the hunt for Danny’s clairvoyance? If you chose that last one, you’re in luck! After years of rumors, Stephen King’s reading at George Mason University served as a preview of his upcoming Dr. Sleep, a tale of 40-year-old Danny’s run-in with vampires. True, everything is about vampires these days, but y’know, it’s Stephen King — fangs were his forte long before the fad. To honor this news, we’ve gathered some excellent pop-culture homages to King’s 1977 thriller and Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation. Check out some terrifying twins and endless corridors after the jump.

Slipknot, “Spit It Out” (1999)

The 1999 music video for “Spit It Out” covers all its Shining bases — twins, axes, “Slipknot” written à la “Redrum,” and even a snowy maze to boot. We’re glad the real thing didn’t involve Slipknot masks; the last thing those hallways needed was a clown.

The Simpsons (1994)

Considering that it’s one of the greatest terror tales of all time, it’s no surprise that there’s a “Treehouse of Horror” special devoted to The Shining. Amusingly titled “The Shinning,” the episode sees the Simpson family as caretakers of the Burns mansion. And, inevitably, “No TV and no beer make Homer something something.”

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia(2008)

After eating some cat food, drinking beer, and huffing glue in order to “walk a mile in Charlie’s shoes,” Dee wakes up to the infamous invitation to play “forever and ever and ever.” What’s worse, hallucinating creepy twins or finding Danny DeVito peeing into a bucket?

Bing.com commercial (2009)

This 2009 Bing.com advertisement shows how The Shining would have played out if Wendy Torrance were to have the Internet at her fingertips. Be sure to Bing, “What do I do when my husband chases me up the stairs with a bat,” Wendy, because we’re pretty sure you’re at that scene.

The Office (2008)

Dwight Shrute interrupts Michael’s new office plans to channel his inner Jack Torrance, looking a whole lotta crazy as he pulls back his hair and proudly shouts to the camera, “All work and no play makes Michael a dull boy.” He’s pretty great at it. We’d imagine Dwight’s life at the beet farm is a lot like life at the Overlook, just with more beets and less beatings.

>Family Guy (2009)

Here’s a clip from Family Guy paired with its film counterpart, but with one little twist. Stewie appears to be both Danny and Jack in this situation, and Jack has a bazooka? That would have made for one flame-filled maze scene.

Daria (1998)

Everyone knows that kid — the one who whips out a pointer finger and chants “redrum” whenever a creepy building is thrown into the mix. As her family’s car approaches a hotel resembling the Overlook, Daria is that kid.

Get Him to the Greek(2010)

It’s quick, but Russell Brand’s exclamation — “It’s Kubrickian!” — while being chased by Diddy is most certainly in honor of The Shining‘s never-ending hallways. And the never-ending hallways are probably in honor of all those drugs he’s — uh, his character is hyped up on.

Duke Nukem 3D(created 2004)

Gamers were given a treat in the form of “The Shining 2,” a mod level for Duke Nukem 3D. In this version, players can explore the grounds of the Overlook Hotel without limitations. We’d try to avoid that room with the guy in the bear suit. You know the one.

30 Second Bunnies (2004)

To wrap up this list of homages, here’s The Shining in 30 seconds, reenacted by bunnies. It’s short and sweet and slightly disturbing, as most of the bunny reenactment series tends to be, but it gets the point across — The Shining is too brutal for bunnies.