46 Years Later, A Stephen King Masterpiece Still Has The Greatest Quote In Horror Movie History

Oct 31, 2026 - 20:14

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46 Years Later, A Stephen King Masterpiece Still Has The Greatest Quote In Horror Movie History

Published Oct 31, 2026, 12:40 PM EDT

Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.

The scariest Stephen King movie also has one of the horror genre's best quotes. Following the first wave of Stephen King movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the author himself had mixed responses to most of them. He had no hesitation slamming the adaptations of Christine or Firestarter, while praising the likes of Brian De Palma's Carrie.

King famously hated Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, which is now seen as one of the scariest movies of all time. That wasn't the case during its 1980 release, with The Shining's tepid response even resulting in two Razzie nominations, including one for Kubrick as "Worst Director." Time has been extremely kind to the director's adaptation of Stephen King's book, however - even if the author disagrees.

For King, Kubrick made far too many changes to the source material, and felt the 1980 supernatural thriller was literally too cold. He also thought that Jack Nicholson's Jack had no arc, and appeared to be totally out of his mind from his first scene. Regardless, Nicholson's performance is iconic, as is his delivery of The Shining's most famous line.

Why The Shining's "Here's Johnny" Line Remains So Impactful

Jack Nocholson as Jack Torrence poking his head through a broken door in The Shining

In a movie loaded with unforgettable sequences (such as Danny encountering the ghost twins or the elevator of blood), Jack smashing up the bathroom door with an axe is still the most iconic. At this stage in the story, Jack has been truly driven to madness by the ghosts inhabiting the Overlook Hotel, and is determined to murder Danny and his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall).

After Wendy locks herself inside a bathroom, Jack smashes through the door, sticks his head in the hole, and utters "Here's Johnny!" This Shining scene is so effective for multiple reasons, from Nicholson's darkly hilirious delivery to the truly unsettling look he gives Wendy as he peers through the hole.

Actor Henry Thomas played the ghost of Jack Torrance in the 2019 sequel Doctor Sleep, with the character credited as "The Bartender."

It's both scary and funny, giving audiences a small reprieve from the scene's intensity before it picks up again. In 2013, a study (via The Guardian) labeled the "Here's Johnny!" moment as the scariest scene in screen history, with heart monitors used to gauge how petrified 10,000 viewers were during sequences in movies like The Exorcist. With a 28% increase in the average heart rate, "Here's Johnny!" was the clear winner.

"Here's Johnny" Isn't In The Shining Book

Kubrick was notorious for his perfectionism, often demanding dozens of takes from his performers. It was during one such take that Nicholson ad-libbed "Here's Johnny!", which came from Ed McMahon's opening catchphrase on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. At that time, The Tonight Show was one of the biggest TV shows in America - though Kubrick himself apparently wasn't aware of it or what the catchphrase was referencing.

It's unknown if Jack was supposed to say another line at that moment, or if he was meant to say anything at all. Regardless, Kubrick clearly loved the take, as it made it into the final version of The Shining. Needless to say, this line didn't come from King's book either, and the author himself would probably have viewed Jack quoting a talk show as completely out of character.

A Lot Of Viewers Won't Even Get The Shining Quote, And It Doesn't Matter

Johnny Carson holding an Oscar statuette at the Oscars ceremony

It's been over 45 years since The Shining debuted, and nearly 35 years since Johnny Carson himself stepped down from The Tonight Show. So, it's little wonder the majority of younger film fans simply don't get the context behind Jack's "Here's Johnny!" and just assume the character is making some strange joke.

At this point, The Shining's use of "Here's Johnny!" is even more famous than its source, so really, it's fine that the reference goes over the heads of the average Gen Z viewer. It works perfectly fine in the context of the scene, which has been referenced, memed and parodied into oblivion at this point, with the most loving version featured in The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror V" from 1994.

Source: The Guardian

Release Date May 23, 1980

Runtime 144 minutes
Birthdate September 21, 1947

Birthplace Portland, Maine, USA

Height 6 feet 4 inches

Notable Projects The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, It, The Stand, Misery, The Dark Tower, Mr. Mercedes, Carrie

Professions Author, Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Actor

Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.