Looks like at least one deep-pocketed collector prefers a cold cut to a hot steak.
The iconic prop axe from the classic horror film The Shining was put on the auction block a couple of weeks ago–as reported here in Horror News Network–and was expected to go for upwards of $90,000 when all was said and done. Well, according to a report on TMZ, that was a very conservative estimate.
The prop sold for almost twice that projected price, pulling in a hefty $175,000 from a “successful businessman” who beat out a dozen other bidders. And who can now lay claim to the title “World’s Biggest Fan of The Shining“.
The axe, of course, was the prop swung by a deranged Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 big-screen version of Stephen King’s frightening 1977 bestseller. The tension-filled scene of Torrance chopping away at the bathroom door–with his terrified wife Wendy in the background–is burned into every horror fan’s memory.
The Shining–helmed by Kubrick from a screenplay he wrote with Diane Johnson–stars Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd. The familiar story follows Torrance, his wife and young son (gifted with the psychic ability known as “the shining”) as they move into the isolated Overlook Hotel to act as off-season caretakers.
Regarded now as one of the best horror films ever made, The Shining received mixed reviews at the time of its release, and was even criticized by King because of its deviations from his novel.
Keep reading Horror News Network for the lowdown on any other horror collectibles up for bid.
