Stanley Kubrick’s legendary horror movie The Shining will get a new 4K Blu-ray edition on February 4. Walmart has opened preorders for an exclusive Limited Edition Steelbook, and it only costs $29.65. It comes with 4K, standard 1080p Blu-ray, and a Movies Anywhere-compatible digital version of the film. And an awesome steelbook case that’s sure to appeal to big fans of The Shining (like me, who already preordered it).
Considering the popularity of Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s horror masterpiece, we would expect this to sell out. The Shining is still regularly one of the best-selling horror 4K Blu-rays on Amazon, and it first released on 4K back in 2019. At the moment, the upcoming steelbook edition is only $7 more than the standard 4K release ($23), which doesn’t include a digital copy.
This isn’t the first steelbook edition of The Shining, but previous releases are long out of print and sell for silly prices on the reseller market. The last 4K Blu-ray steelbook edition was exclusive to Best Buy and retailed for $30, too. With the rising cost of steelbooks, it’s nice to know you’re paying the same price in 2025 as you did in 2019–well, technically Walmart’s is 24 cents cheaper than the $29.99 price Best Buy charged for its (different) steelbook edition.
$29.65 | Releases February 4, Walmart Exclusive
The blood-red steelbook case features the iconic axe from that scene. It’s rare that the front of a Blu-ray case and the interior art tell the same story, but when you open it up, you’ll see the blade of the axe on the other side of the wall. On the right side of the interior is the understandably terrified Wendy Duvall, played brilliantly by the late Shelley Duvall.
If you’re a fan of The Shining and haven’t watched it on 4K Blu-ray, you’re missing out. The Shining’s 4K remaster is truly sublime. It might be the best remaster of any film from its era I’ve watched. Everything about it is better visually, from the colors to the contrast to the lighting, it’s an extremely well-done remaster. It’s hard to believe a film that’s nearly 45 years old can look this crisp on 4K, but it’s a must-own for any fan of Kubrick, King, or horror in general.
The 4K version includes Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HDR10. It also sounds better with DTS 5.1 surround sound. The standard Blu-ray cut of the film was built from the same restoration, and it’s still quite good, but unsurprisingly not as nice as the 4K edition. Plus, you lose high dynamic range (HDR), which makes a difference for sure.
Special Features
The special features for The Shining’s new steelbook edition remain the same as the original 2019 4K release, which were also largely the same as the previous standard Blu-ray release. That said, they are insightful and compelling featurettes and mini documentaries. All of the special features are on the standard Blu-ray disc, though the first piece of content about the Steadicam is also on the 4K disc. There’s a great documentary featuring Stanley Kubrick’s daughter Vivian about the creation of the film as well as a separate doc that explores similar territory from a different angle. Lastly, there’s a featurette about Kubrick and Wendy Carlos, the composer of The Shining’s brilliant score.
- Commentary by Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown and historian John Baxter
- The Making of The Shining featuring Vivian Kubrick (35 minutes)
- View from the Overlook Hotel: Crafting The Shining (26 minutes)
- The Visions of Stanley Kubrick and Wendy Carlos (15 minutes)
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Compendium
- Amazon – Sold out / Click “See All Buying Options” and choose Taschen America listing.
- Walmart – $139.44 | Sold out
- Target – $125 | Sold out
- Barnes & Noble – $125 | Sold out
Fans of the film should also have the upcoming two-book compendium on their radar. Originally slated to release in November, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining from art book publisher Taschen is now expected to arrive on December 26. Unfortunately, preorders are sold out at all major retailers right now, though Taschen is selling it at Amazon for its $125 list price with a $15 shipping fee. What is this book, you ask? It’s a 1,400-page, two-volume hardcover set that explores the making and legacy of The Shining in exhaustive detail.
The compendium was edited by former Pixar director Lee Unkrich, who directed Toy Story 3 and Coco and has co-directing credits for Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, and Monsters, Inc. Volume one is written by author J.W. Rinzler, a film historian known for his deep dives into popular movie franchises, including The Making of Star Wars, a three-book series that goes behind the scenes on the creation of the original trilogy. Rinzler’s book is based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews. The book also contains a foreword written by Steven Spielberg.
Volume two is a photo album stuffed with production documents from Kubrick’s personal collection, concept art, set photographs, letters, deleted scenes. Much of the content in the album only appears in this book.
Taschen has published multiple other books about Stanley Kubrick that are worth checking out:
The Shining & Doctor Sleep Blu-rays
In 2013, Stephen King published a great sequel to The Shining called Doctor Sleep. The sequel stars a grown-up Dan Torrance who must confront his demons and the place that created them, the Overlook Hotel. Mike Flanagan adapted the novel into a feature film in 2019. Doctor Sleep is one of the best modern King adaptations. If you want to watch The Shining and Doctor Sleep now, here’s a list of currently available 4K and standard Blu-ray releases. There’s a standard Blu-ray combo pack that’s actually cheaper than the two movies on their own. You can get The Shining and Doctor Sleep for only $11.
You’ll also find the 1997 TV series on the list. Many people love Kubrick’s adaptation, but King, to put it lightly, is not a fan. King wrote the script for the 1997 ABC miniseries based on his book. As a big Stephen King fan, I really enjoyed the miniseries, but it’s not nearly as highly regarded as the film. It’s definitely worth watching, and the Blu-ray edition, which released earlier this year, is only $22 on Amazon.
Stephen King – The Shining & Doctor Sleep Novels
If you haven’t read Stephen King’s original 1977 novel that Kubrick’s film is based on, you can pick up a copy for pretty cheap at Amazon. You can even get a really cool “retro” hardcover edition for only $23. The Shining is one of the best horror novels of the last 50 years, and while Kubrick’s adaptation is great, it’s still quite different from the book. Both are masterpieces of the genre. Doctor Sleep, the novel, doesn’t reach the same heights (unsurprisingly), but it’s an enjoyable sequel that is worth reading even if you’ve already watched Flanagan’s adaptation.
The Shining is also included in two currently available paperback box sets. Stephen King Three Classic Novels Box Set is a North American release containing King’s earliest bestsellers. Carrie was King’s debut novel. He followed it up with ‘Salem’s Lot, and The Shining was his fourth novel. His third novel, Rage, was published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and is no longer in print. The five-book box set listed below also includes Cujo and Firestarter. Just be aware that this set contains UK editions published by Hodder & Stoughton.
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