Few films have had the same cultural impact as The Shining, one of Stanley Kubrick's best films, and Jack Nicholson's most iconic roles. The Shining just had its 40th birthday on May 23, and to celebrate the occasion, one Animal Crossing: New Horizons player took it upon themselves to recreate some of the film's greatest moments.
Fans of The Shining will instantly recognize the iconography, which features moments like the infamous "Here's Johnny" sequence and the chase through the maze. Animal Crossing fans have recreated horror movies in the past, though this one is special. Uploaded to Reddit by user RachelsHam, the care that went into recreating the movie is clear, and the result is one of the best depictions of a film the game has seen.
So far, Animal Crossing's cultural impact has been profound. Partially spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to millions of people being stuck at home, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken the world by storm, with an Animal Crossing talk show debuting music by Shaggy and Sting soon.
It's an incredible situation, though the game has become something those stuck at home can rally behind – a way for friends to connect with each other over great distances and in unideal circumstances. It's no wonder, then, that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fastest-selling Switch game on the market, with those that don't regularly play games jumping on the bandwagon to see what all the fuss is about.
The pairing with The Shining is, admittedly, kind of strange. The Shining is a deep horror movie, with themes that in no way line up with Animal Crossing's cute nature. Of course, that does speak volumes about how versatile New Horizons is, which makes one wonder what other crossovers await the game in the future.
Without a doubt, there will be more to come for the game. The Shining is one of the best horror movies – and movies in general – of all time, so it makes sense that players would gravitate to it, especially for such a special occasion. It's difficult to say how long the internet's obsession with Animal Crossing will last, but things show no sign of slowing down just yet.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for Switch.