Director Stanley Kubrick had a good relationship with the young Danny Lloyd, and since it was his first acting job, he was highly protective of the child. During the shooting of the movie, Lloyd didn't even know he was in a horror film and only realized the truth many years later. In later interviews as an adult, Lloyd mentioned that Kubrick would even play ball with him; for years after the movie, Kubrick sent Christmas cards to the Lloyd family and even phoned Danny to congratulate him on his high school graduation.
For the scene in which Jack breaks down the bathroom door, the props department built a door that could be easily broken. However, Jack Nicholson had worked as a volunteer fire marshal and tore it apart far too easily. The props department were then forced to build a stronger door.
According to Shelley Duvall, the famous "Here's Johnny!" scene took three days to film and the use of sixty doors.
Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall have both spoken about the critical reception of the film, which they felt overlooked the intense efforts of the cast and crew. Nicholson described the film as one of the most demanding of his career and has called Duvall's performance the most difficult role he has ever seen an actress undertake. Duvall herself has described the role as the hardest of her life, highlighting the emotional intensity required for the role.
At the time of release, it was the policy of the MPAA to not allow the portrayal of blood in trailers that would be approved for all audiences. In 1980, the concept of green band and red band trailers were being introduced by the MPAA. Bizarrely, the trailer consists entirely of the shot of blood pouring out of the elevator. Stanley Kubrick had convinced the board the blood flooding out of the elevator was actually rusty water. The water also had red dye on it.
Vivian Kubrick: In the party scene. She wore a black dress and sat on the right side of the sofa closest to the bar.
Norman Gay: The injured guest who frightens Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) by saying "Great party, isn't it?"