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Fans of Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King should explore the recently launched limited editions of The Shining before Amazon runs out of stock. The retailer has just unveiled The Film Vault’s Steelbook Special Edition and Solus Steelbook Editions of the renowned 1980 horror film on 4K Blu-ray. The standard Steelbook Edition includes an acetate slipcover and is currently priced at $48.86. The Steelbook Special Edition is available for $87.07 and features the following extras: a themed cigar box, two posters, five character cards, and three behind-the-scenes cards. Each Special Edition contains a holographic sticker numbered to 6,000, so don’t expect it to last long.
The Shining’s Film Vault collectible editions were produced in the UK and include region-free 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray discs. Even though you’re ordering from Amazon’s US site, both versions are sold by Amazon Global Store UK with complimentary shipping to the US. It appears it could take approximately two weeks for orders to arrive, but you’re receiving free international shipping, which is quite beneficial.
Prior to the emergence of these Amazon pages, The Shining Film Vault editions were exclusively available at Walmart in the US. Technically, they still are, as Amazon US isn’t “officially” retailing either edition. Notably, the prices were inflated at Walmart: $65 for the Steelbook and $100 for the Steelbook Special Edition. Walmart depleted its stock at those prices in August. In early September, the retailer canceled several orders owing to inventory shortages. The Special Edition never returned, but Walmart replenished the Steelbook Edition last week–and sold out again on launch day (October 3). Note: The prices are even steeper now at Walmart due to resellers.
The Shining is one of two early ’80s horror features in The Film Vault Wave 3. The Shining debuted alongside the 1982 supernatural horror film Poltergeist. Similar to The Shining, Poltergeist is exclusive to Walmart in the US, but the retailer currently has no stock of either edition. Yet again, Amazon has Poltergeist Special Edition Steelbook and Solus Steelbook available for $87.68 and $46.79, respectively. Both editions are shipped from Amazon UK and contain 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray discs. Walmart had been charging $100 for the Special Edition and $65 for the Solus Steelbook.
The Shining and Poltergeist Film Vault limited editions include region-free 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray discs. All four releases were designed by Vice Press in collaboration with Warner Bros. UK.
The Film Vault Wave 3 at Amazon
- The Shining Solus Steelbook (4K) — $48.86 (
$65) - The Shining Special Edition Steelbook (4K) — $87.07 (
$100) - Poltergeist Solus Steelbook (4K) — $46.79 (
$65) - Poltergeist Special Edition Steelbook (4K) — $87.68 (
$100)
The Shining: The Film Vault Steelbook Special Edition (4K Blu-ray)
$87.07 (previously $100) | Available Now
The Special Edition’s cigar box exhibits a prominent silhouette of Jack Torrance with the fireman’s axe gazing at (apologies) the Overlook Hotel. On the reverse side of the box is Jack’s typewriter paired with an incomplete page from the script he was engaged with—just joking, it repeats the sentence incessantly: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
The envelope enclosing the eight art cards is a replica of the “All Work and No Play” page from the movie. The five character cards display unforgettable scenes from the film. The other three cards consist of behind-the-scenes production images, one of which features Kubrick on set.
The steelbook artwork is also presented on the new film poster crafted by Matt Ferguson and Florey of Vice Press. A second poster features a revised version of Saul Bass’ legendary promotional poster for The Shining’s theatrical release in 1980.
With the Special Edition, the acetate slipcover fits over the cigar box. The title and logos are printed on the slipcover, allowing you to opt for displaying the artwork with or without the text.
- Steelbook with exclusive design
- Cigar Box with new imagery and Acetate slipcover
- Remove slipcover for a text-free display box
- 2 Posters
- New art by Matt Ferguson & Florey
- Retouched edition of Saul Bass’ 1980 Theatrical Poster
- Art Cards
- 5 Character Cards
- 3 Behind-the-Scenes Cards
- “All Work and No Play” Envelope for Art Cards
- Numbered Holographic Sticker
- The Shining on 4K Blu-ray
- The Shining & Special Features on Blu-ray
The Shining: The Film Vault Steelbook Edition (4K Blu-ray)
$48.86 (formerly $65) | Available Now
As the Solus Steelbook Edition lacks a protective outer box, the acetate slipcover is placed directly over the steelbook casing. Once again, the film’s title and logos are printed on the clear slipcover, allowing the case to be showcased with or without the text. To clarify: This is the identical steelbook case found in the Special Edition.
The new illustrations by Matt Ferguson & Florey from Vice Press depict the moment when Jack Torrance navigates through the hedge maze. The rear cover showcases the bathroom door that Danny inscribed “Redrum” on using red lipstick. The inner artwork displays the hedge maze from the film on both sides.
- Steelbook featuring exclusive artwork
- Acetate sleeve
- Remove sleeve for a text-free display case
- The Shining on 4K Blu-ray
- The Shining on Blu-ray
The Shining’s 4K Blu-ray first launched in 2019 and stands as one of the finest restorations of a film from its period. Presented in native 4K (2160p), The Shining is compatible with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. For sound, it features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround audio.
The Shining Special Features
All 4K and Blu-ray versions of The Shining include a selection of excellent special features. The 4K and 1080p discs feature an optional commentary track with Kubrick’s biographer John Baxter and Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown. Other bonus content, including a behind-the-scenes documentary, can only be found on the regular Blu-ray disc.
- Audio Commentary: John Baxter & Garrett Brown
- The Making of The Shining (35 minutes)
- View from the Overlook: Crafting The Shining (26 minutes)
- The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (15 minutes)
- Wendy Carlos, Composer (7 minutes)
If you’re not acquainted with The Film Vault, it’s a collection of collectible editions of timeless films from the Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures film archives. The Film Vault was established in 2022 by Vice Press, a UK-based company specializing in officially licensed movie collectibles and artwork. All of the 4K Blu-rays released by The Film Vault are region-free discs; however, as a UK company, these limited-edition versions of classic films are not commonly available at US retailers.
The Shining & Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Kubrick’s The Shining was derived from Stephen King’s classic horror novel from 1977. King is notably not fond of the adaptation. This eventually resulted in a new miniseries version that aired on ABC in 1997. Although the miniseries adheres more closely to the book, it is not as well-regarded. Nonetheless, it’s definitely worth viewing. Shout Factory released a The Shining miniseries on Blu-ray in 2024.
- The Shining (1997 TV Series) — $20 (
$35) - The Shining (1980) (4K Blu-ray) — $18.62 (
$42) - Doctor Sleep: Director’s Cut (4K Blu-ray) — $14.69 (
$25)
In 2013, Scribner published
Doctor Sleep, a continuation of The Shining featuring an adult Danny Torrance. The film adaptation of Doctor Sleep, directed by Mike Flanagan, was released in 2019. While both the book and the film are impressive, neither attains the same levels of excellence as the originals (as expected).
Both books can be found at a low price in hardcover and paperback formats on Amazon. The trade paperback edition of The Shining is currently available for $11.30 (down from $20), and the vintage hardcover is priced at $19.80 (previously $45). Meanwhile, Doctor Sleep can be purchased for just $13.78 in hardcover and $10.49 in paperback.
- Stephen King’s The Shining (Hardcover) — $19.80 ($
45) - Stephen King’s The Shining (Paperback) — $7.50 ($
20) - Doctor Sleep (Hardcover) — $13.78 ($
30) - Doctor Sleep (Paperback) — $10.49 ($
20)
Fans of Stanley Kubrick have another 4K Blu-ray to anticipate. Eyes Wide Shut, the director’s last film, is becoming part of The Criterion Collection on November 25.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Compendium
$125 | 2-Book Hardcover Box Set (1,396 Pages)
If you’re looking for a $100 edition of The Shining, it’s a good guess that either you or someone you know is a devoted admirer. As a huge fan myself, I must say that if I were to choose between an upscale new edition of The Shining on 4K Blu-ray or the recently issued compendium about the film, I would undoubtedly opt for the compendium.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a two-volume, 1,396-page boxed set that provides an extraordinarily detailed examination of the film’s production. This stunning slipcase collection was crafted by M/M Paris and published by Taschen earlier this year.
Authored by J.W. Rinzler and edited by Pixar director Lee Unkrich, this compendium is derived from countless hours of interviews and extensive investigative research. The initial book, which features an introduction by Steven Spielberg, details each stage of the production process. When I received my copy earlier this year, I was overwhelmed by the amount of detail included in the roughly 900-page hardcover. If there’s a more exhaustive making-of book regarding a single film, I would be astonished. This book’s length is almost comparable to all three volumes in Rinzler’s The Making of Star Wars series, which is also remarkable.
The boxed set additionally includes an exquisite scrapbook filled with a diverse range of images, artwork, and documents related to the production of The Shining.
To summarize: This compendium is the finest aggregation of behind-the-scenes content–across any medium–I have ever encountered.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is available on Amazon for $125, but it remains uncertain how many copies the publisher has printed and whether additional print runs will occur. Amazon experienced a sell-out when preorders began last summer, and the boxed set was out of stock until a few months ago.
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