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

Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of "The Shining" is renowned for its haunting final scene, featuring a chilling photograph from the Overlook Hotel's 1921 Fourth of July ball, prominently displaying Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) amidst a crowd, despite him not being born at the time. This iconic image was created by superimposing Nicholson onto a real photograph, which had faded into obscurity until recently. Now, 45 years after the film's release, the original 1921 photograph has been rediscovered.

Retired academic Alasdair Spark from the University of Winchester shared the journey of uncovering this 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, 14 February 1921, at the Empress Rooms, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington." The post also showcased a new scan from the original glass-plate negative and other supporting documents.

Spark, alongside New York Times staffer Arick Toller and dedicated Redditors, embarked on an extensive search to find the image. "It was starting to seem impossible, every cross-reference to Casani failed to match. Other likely places that were suggested didn’t match," Spark noted. The fear was that the photo might be lost forever, but perseverance paid off.

This rediscovery should delight fans of "The Shining." Stephen King's novel was released in 1977 and has been adapted twice: Kubrick's iconic film and Mick Garris' 1997 miniseries, which stayed truer to the book.