The Shining Returns to the Big Screen in Doylestown |
Kubrick's classic horror movie at the County Theater, two nights before Halloween |
If you've only ever seen it on a TV, Thursday night is your chance to see The Shining the way it was meant to be seen.
The County Theater screens Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7:15 p.m.
Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a writer who takes a winter caretaker job at an isolated mountain hotel.
He brings along his wife, Wendy, and their young son, Danny.
As the snow piles up and the hotel sits empty, Jack slowly starts to come apart.
Danny, who has a psychic gift, senses that something in that hotel is very wrong.
It's rated R and runs 2 hours and 26 minutes, so settle in.
The screening is part of the theater's Spooky Season lineup, and it also doubles as a Cinema Studies session.
You don't have to join the class, though.
Screening-only tickets are available, and those guests are seated starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $13.50, $11.50 for seniors 62 and up and students, and $8 for County Theater members.
There's something about watching a slow-building horror film with a full house that a living room can't match.
Every long hallway, every creak and every glance out at the snow lands differently on a big screen.
Grab an early dinner downtown, then walk over to 20 E. State St.
And if you're still in the mood on Saturday, the County shows Evil Dead II at 9:45 p.m. on Halloween night. |
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Grabbed two tickets already. My buddy has somehow never seen this movie so I cannot wait to watch him experience the hedge maze scene for the first time.
Marco D.Oh that hedge maze scene on a first watch is going to wreck him. Do not warn him about anything, just watch his face.
The snow building up outside the Overlook while everything goes wrong inside is so well done. Kubrick really knew how to use setting to build dread.
I brought earplugs the last time I saw a horror movie at a theater. Not because of the movie, because of the person next to me screaming every five minutes.
County Theater is such a gem for this area. So glad they keep doing these classic screenings instead of only running new stuff.
The Spooky Season lineup is a real testament to what makes a neighborhood theater special, there's nothing quite like a full house for a classic horror film.
I always forget how long this movie is until I am halfway through and realize I still have over an hour to go. Still love it though.
Brenda J.The pacing is so deliberate that it kind of sneaks up on you. Then suddenly you're in the third act and your heart rate is through the roof.
October 29 is two days before Halloween. Honestly the timing could not be more perfect.
Heeere's Johnny on a big screen with a packed house. The crowd reaction alone is going to be worth it.
nate_rRight? Half the fun is hearing everyone react to that moment. It never gets old no matter how many times you've seen it.
The score in this movie is so creepy. Hearing that through a proper theater sound system is going to be something else.
Sandra LeeYes, the Penderecki pieces especially. That music would sound incredible through a real sound system. It's half of what makes the hotel feel so wrong.
I drove past County Theater last week and noticed the Spooky Season posters. Glad I looked it up because this is exactly what I wanted to do Thursday.
Here for Evil Dead II on Halloween night. That is the best possible way to spend a Saturday.
Is the Cinema Studies discussion part only for students or can regular ticket buyers stay for it too? The article made it sound like it might be separate.
Watched it on a tiny laptop once and it just does not work that way. The isolation of that hotel needs a big screen to really hit right.
The senior discount is a nice touch. My mom and I go to County Theater a lot and that always helps.
Kubrick spent forever on this film and it shows. Every shot is so deliberate. You notice new things every time you watch it.
Shelley Duvall deserves way more credit for her performance in this. She carries so much of that film on her shoulders.
20 E. State St is super easy to walk to from most of the downtown spots. Parking is pretty painless on a Thursday night too.
The snow building up outside while Jack slowly loses it is such a great slow burn. That kind of pacing hits completely different in a theater with nowhere to pause it.
I am bringing my sister who has never seen it. She thinks it is just a regular ghost movie. She is not ready.
Thirteen fifty is totally reasonable for a classic like this. I spend more than that at the movies for stuff not half as good.
Hard to argue with that, $13.50 for a Kubrick masterpiece on a proper cinema screen is genuinely one of the better deals you'll find on a Thursday night out.
My husband refuses to watch this movie because it scared him so badly in college. So I guess I'm going alone.
I keep meaning to become a County member and this is the reminder I needed. Eight dollars for a Kubrick film on a big screen is a no brainer.
Went to the last Spooky Season showing they did and the crowd energy made it so much fun. People were genuinely jumping in their seats.
The student discount is appreciated. More theaters should do tiered pricing like this.
Danny is the most unsettling child in any horror movie ever made. And I mean that as a compliment to the film.
Seven fifteen on a Thursday works perfectly. Get out of there by ten and you still have time to decompress before bed. If you can sleep after that.
Not going to lie, I might need a friend to come with me. This movie still gets me even after all these times watching it.
Kubrick spent so long making sure every single frame of this movie meant something. Seeing it big really shows that off.
The County does such a good job with these seasonal screenings. Really glad they kept the Spooky Season lineup going this year.
Good tip about grabbing dinner downtown first. The restaurant on the corner gets packed on weekends so go early.
I grew up watching this on VHS and I still have never seen it in a theater. Might finally be my year.
Does anyone know if they have assigned seating or is it first come first served? Trying to figure out how early to get there.
Glad they included the Cinema Studies angle. My daughter is taking film classes and this seems like a great night for her.
The hallway scenes alone are worth the ticket price. Your TV is not doing those shots justice, trust me.
2 hours and 26 minutes though. Make sure you use the bathroom before it starts.
Jack Nicholson in this movie is just on another level. Even if you've seen it ten times it's worth seeing on a big screen.
Evil Dead II on Halloween night at 9:45 is honestly the perfect choice. That is exactly where I want to be Saturday.
$8 for members is a great deal. If you go to the County more than a couple times a year the membership basically pays for itself.
Saw this at the County a few years back and it genuinely freaked me out way more than watching it at home. Something about hearing other people react in real time makes it so much better.
Shelley Duvall deserves way more credit for her performance in this. Everyone talks about Nicholson but she was incredible.
Danny riding that tricycle through those hallways on a big screen is going to be intense. My palms are sweating just thinking about it.
Those hallway sequences were designed to feel deeply wrong on the largest screen possible, so yes, brace yourself, and maybe bring something to grip.
Bobby T.The sound of that tricycle switching between carpet and hardwood is somehow the creepiest part to me. That detail is going to hit so different in a theater.
The Cinema Studies part sounds really interesting. Do they discuss the film after or is it all before the screening starts?
Great question, since the screening also serves as a Cinema Studies session, we'd recommend reaching out to the County Theater directly for the exact format, as discussion elements can vary by session.
I live right downtown so this is a perfect Thursday night plan. Dinner at the Italian place on State and then walk right over. Easy.
Ray DelucaWhich Italian place do you usually go to? Always looking for a good spot before a County show.
Took my husband to see this at a revival screening a few years back and he had no idea what he was getting into. Funniest reaction I have ever seen from a grown man.
The hallway scenes alone are worth the price of admission on a big screen. That carpet pattern will haunt you.
That geometric carpet is practically its own character at this point, and trust us, it reads very differently at full cinema scale than on a TV screen.
2 hours and 26 minutes is a long sit but honestly this movie earns every single minute of it.
Kubrick famously refused to rush a single frame, and at 2 hours and 26 minutes, The Shining rewards every patient viewer, especially in a darkened theater.
Evil Dead II on Halloween night is an amazing choice too. County Theater really went all out this year with the lineup.
Greg HoffmannSeriously, Evil Dead II on actual Halloween night is such a good call. Going from Kubrick to Raimi in three days is a pretty great weekend.
I watched this alone at home last Halloween and had to sleep with the lights on. Not doing that again. Big screen with a crowd sounds way better.
Paula R.Ha, same thing happened to me. Watching it with a crowd is completely different. Way easier to laugh at the tension instead of just sitting there spiraling.
Jack Nicholson in this role is honestly one of the best performances ever put on film. The man was born to play Jack Torrance.
It's hard to disagree, Nicholson brings something so specific and unsettling to Jack Torrance that the role and the actor feel permanently fused in cinema history.
$8 for members is a great deal. Definitely worth signing up if you go to County Theater more than a couple times a year.
Exactly right, if you're a regular at County Theater, membership pays for itself quickly, and screenings like this are precisely why.
Saw this at a theater back in 1980 when it first came out. Nothing like seeing it on a big screen. The twin girls scene had the whole audience freaking out.