It may not be to Stephen King’s tastes but Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 take on the author’s classic novel is to many, one of the very finest horror films ever made. A sprawling and terrifying masterpiece, it remains one of many examples of the director’s ability to conquer whatever genre he turned his hand to, even those he would never revisit.
As a little Halloween treat, the BFI will be releasing Warner Bros’ new digital transfer of the lengthier US cut of the film to selected cinemas across the UK. The run will begin at Bury St Edmunds’ Abbeygate Cinema on October 28th and take in 12 venues, ending on November 3rd at the Whitgift Film Theatre in Grimsby. BFI made the announcement with this newly-cut trailer.
The US cut runs at a hefty 144 minutes. Additional scenes introduce us to ‘Tony’ earlier on, subject Shelley Duvall’s Wendy to further hallucinatory horror and give more backstory for Jack’s drunken rage that led to him breaking Danny’s arm.
Hopefully these screenings will prompt an overdue UK home release of the film’s US cut, which runs 24 minutes longer than the UK version.
Altogether now: Dannyyyyyy!!!
Words: Kevan Farrow (@KevanX)
