Movies

Twins from ‘The Shining’ Look Unrecognizable 45 Years Later!

BBG News

Without a doubt, one of the most memorable scenes ever captured on film is when the chilling apparition of the Grady twins emerges from the corridor to torment young Danny Torrance in The Shining.

Despite appearing in just a single scene of the movie, the twin sisters portrayed by Lisa and Louise Burns have left an indelible mark on the iconic horror film. Their characters continue to be strongly associated with this groundbreaking production, and they remain a frequent topic in contemporary popular culture.

Approximately 45 years following the movie’s premiere, the Grady twins have been regularly posting updates for fans via their Facebook page, “The Shining Twins”. Though they remain strikingly similar in appearance, they have noticeably changed over time.

It appeared as if the Burns twins, with their promising debut in The Shining, were granted an everlasting pass to Hollywood’s grand stage. However, they chose to follow a distinctly different route instead.

In a 2015 interview with the Daily Mail, Lisa shared that her career choice as a lawyer was made at a point in time when Louise had already established herself as a published scientist.

When asked about their experience on the set of The Shining, they said they loved it. 

They mentioned that each day seemed as if we had received an invitation to an extremely elite gathering, and among all attendees, we were the most youthful and fortunate ones.

Stanley insisted that we be present on the set every day, so during our downtime between shots, Louise mentioned that we often played with Danny and Jack.

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They reminisced about the delightful experiences they had while collaborating with actors like Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and filmmaker Stanley Kubrick.

The twins revealed that Nicholson was a stark contrast from his character Jack Torrance. 

As soon as the cameras were off, I shed my eerie facade and transformed into something more paternal – a guiding light for the young ladies in our midst.

Despite being just 11 years old at the time, their role in the movie left a lasting impact on them as they grew into adults.

As a passionate devotee of the horror genre, I’ve been consistently engaged within this thrilling community, regularly participating in conventions and sharing my enthusiasm through frequent updates on my social media platforms.

In November, they posted something on their shared Facebook page, The Shining Twins, during a showing of the Shine On Documentary.

The documentary was narrated by Martin Sheen and produced by Paul King. It included conversations with Les Tomkins, the art director of “The Shining”, its producer Jan Harlan, and Kubrick’s daughter Katharina. At the premiere, they even posed for a photo together with Tomkins.

2023 saw them journeying to the Comic Con event held in Northern Ireland, participating in a panel about the movie. There, they disclosed that they had been chosen from an open audition for the role.

In the novel penned by Stephen King, the Grady sisters are aged eight and ten. Yet, in the movie version, they were portrayed as twins, adding a chilling twist to the scenes.

Additionally, they discussed Kubrick’s renowned precision, sharing that it took him nearly a full week to set up the scene depicting the two twins sprawled in the corridor, both drenched in blood.

In simple terms, they mentioned that since there was only a single collection of costumes available in the department, the scene needed to be filmed in a single take.

In their own words, during the filming of The Shining, the twins merely aspired for a successful run at the box office; they would have never foreseen its enduring popularity.

Over the past nearly five decades, the hallway scene has often been imitated or alluded to in various ways.

In 2015, the film “The Angry Birds Movie” made a nod to the twins when its main character opened a door to unveil two green Angry Birds dressed identically to the Grady twins.

In a playful take on the movie “The Shining”, Family Guy has lampooned it variously, such as when Stewie Griffin accidentally hits the twins with his tricycle. Similarly, The Simpsons paid homage by dedicating an entire episode to mimicking the film.

The setting is adorned with distinctive Halloween outfits, as numerous guides on crafting the iconic blue dresses flood platforms like Pinterest and YouTube.

Despite no longer being center stage, the initial Grady sisters, Lisa and Louise, continue to inspire numerous reenactments and spoofs of their famous scene from the timeless horror movie, sparking creativity in many.

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2025-05-04 21:01

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