Wondering what to do with that spare $50,000-$90,000 lying around in your bank account? Gotta Have Rock & Roll, an auction site that sets fans up with memorabilia from their favorite movies, musicians, and sports all stars, has listed the real prop axe that was used by Jack Nicholson in The Shining. If you win the bid, you’ll receive the chopper in a neat and clean shadow box frame with four images from the film, including its logo and a shot of Jack Torrance (Nicholson) wandering out into the snow-filled maze with the weapon in hand. Included will be a letter from NORANK Engineering, confirming the axe’s usage on the film dated June 8, 1989, as well as a certificate of authenticity from Gotta Have Rock & Roll.
Adapted from the novel by legendary horror author Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick directed the flick which would become an immediate classic, leaving its mark on not only the horror genre, but on pop culture and film as a whole. The movie centers around a writer named Jack Torrance who has just taken on a job as the winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado. Because the hotel is in the middle of nowhere with no visitors coming to stay during the blustery winter months, Jack is hoping that he can do his job while setting aside time for writing in the isolation the position will provide.
Accompanying him to the giant hotel is his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their son, Danny (Danny Lloyd). From the jump, viewers are informed that Danny has supernatural abilities which plague him with psychic foresight. Upon arriving at the hotel, Jack’s personality begins to change for the worse, while Danny’s visions turn deadly and demonic. As the film plays out, audiences watch as terror unfolds on the trapped family hoping to survive the blizzard of a lifetime.
Known for giving an unforgettable performance in the psychological thriller, Nicholson’s wielding of the axe in question made for one of the film's most quoted scenes. While Danny and Wendy hide in a bathroom, hoping to stay safe from their protector turned attempted murderer, Jack begins to chop down the door yelling, “Here’s Johnny!” While fans will know the axe was carried alongside Jack throughout much of the end of the feature, this scene in particular solidified it into annals of movie lore.
After winning the prop axe with your chump change, maybe you can give the Timberline Lodge in Mt. Hood, Oregon (where the exterior shots were filmed) a call and ask them for permission to recreate your favorite scenes from the film. But in the meantime, to view the auction listing, you can check out Gotta Have Rock & Roll's website.