Movies Like Making 'The Shining' (1980)

Making 'The Shining' is a 1980 documentary film from Vivian Kubrick with a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse and The Pixar Story.

Documentary

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

1991

A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.

7.9

MagicScore

The Pixar Story

2007

A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios - from the success of "Toy Story" and Pixar's promotion of talented people, to the building of its East Bay campus, the company's relationship with Disney, and its remarkable initial string of eight hits. The contributions of John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs are profiled. The decline of two-dimensional animation is chronicled as three-dimensional animation rises. Hard work and creativity seem to share the screen in equal proportions.

7.6

MagicScore

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

2010

For decades, Freddy Krueger has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring up over half a billion dollars at the box office across eight terrifying, spectacular films.

7.8

MagicScore

78/52

2017

The most famous murder scene in movie history comprises 78 camera settings and 52 cuts: the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 78/52 tells the story of the man behind the curtain and his greatest obsession.

7.2

MagicScore

Making 'Taxi Driver'

1999

A behind the scenes snapshot of the making of one of the greatest films ever made. Filled with trivia, interviews from cast and crew, and more.

6.9

MagicScore

His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th

2010

A retrospective documentary about the groundbreaking horror series, Friday the 13th, featuring interviews with cast and crew from the twelve films spanning 3 decades.

6.7

MagicScore

Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall

2011

This documentary looks at the conception, design and live shows of The Wall performed by Pink Floyd in 1980 and 1981. It features in-depth 1980s era interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason and shows footage of The Wall performed at Earl's Court in 1980. It also features archival footage of the Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd and discusses how David Gilmour was brought into the band to initially augment their live shows when Syd became unreliable due to his drug problem and how Gilmour ultimately replaced him.

8.1

MagicScore

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

2013

Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.

7.5

MagicScore

The Sweatbox

2002

Trudie Styler, a documentarian, had been allowed to film the production of 'Kingdom of the Sun'/'The Emperor's New Groove' as part of the deal that originally brought her husband Sting to the project. As a result, Styler recorded much of the struggle, controversy, and troubles that went into making the picture on film (including when producer Fullmer called Sting to inform the pop star that his songs were being deleted from the film). Styler's completed documentary, The Sweatbox, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 13, 2002. Disney owns the rights to the documentary and has not released it on home video or DVD.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

2007

An account of the professional and personal life of renowned American photographer Annie Leibovitz, from her early artistic endeavors to her international success as a photojournalist, war reporter, and pop culture chronicler.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché

2018

The epic life story of Alice Guy-Blaché (1873–1968), a French screenwriter, director and producer, true pioneer of cinema, the first person who made a narrative fiction film; author of hundreds of movies, but banished from history books. Ignored and forgotten. At last remembered.

7.2

MagicScore

#12

Corman's World

2011

A chronicle of the long career of American filmmaker Roger Corman, the most tenacious and ingenious low-budget producer and director in the US film industry, a pioneer of independent filmmaking and discoverer of new talent.

7.1

MagicScore

#13

An Open Secret

2014

An investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

The Competition

2017

An all-access tour behind the scenes at France’s premiere film school, La Fémis. Showing us how successful candidates get to follow in the footsteps of such luminaries as Louis Malle, François Ozon and Alain Resnais, all of whom attended this prestigious institution. Stumbling over their words, the often-nervous candidates seem vulnerable when confronted with the veterans of the industry, who have the difficult task of discovering true talent among all these eager young people.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

Trespassing Bergman

2013

In the sixties, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) built a house on the remote island of Fårö, located in the Baltic Sea, and left Stockholm to live there. When he died, the house was preserved. A group of very special film buffs, came from all over the world, travel to Fårö in search of the genius and his legacy. (An abridged version of Bergman's Video, 2012.)

6.6

MagicScore

#16

The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films

2014

Cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus relive the creation, rise and fall of their independent film company, Cannon Films. This documentary recounts their many successes and discusses their eventual downfall.

6.4

MagicScore

#17

Full Tilt Boogie

1998

A documentary about the production of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and the people who made it.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

Pleasure

2013

Behind the scenes of a porn shoot, the actors are practicing various positions. The rumour is that one of the girls is doing a double anal, an advanced routine that requires someone extremely tough. A startling film about workplace intrigue, set at a decidedly different place of work.

4.9

MagicScore

#19

Leading Lady Parts

2018

The best women of British acting go to an audition for a dream role, primed to take on the role of a lifetime: that complex woman, the strong woman, a woman for today.

7.8

MagicScore

#20

The Holiday

2006

Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmastime following bad breakups. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

7.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Making 'The Shining'?

The top films similar to Making 'The Shining' by MovieMagicScore are Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (7.9), The Pixar Story (7.6), Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (7.8). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Making 'The Shining' worth watching?

Making 'The Shining' holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10 from 112 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Making 'The Shining'?

Making 'The Shining' (1980) is a documentary film directed by Vivian Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson, Vivian Kubrick, Terry Needham.

Where can I find more recommendations like Making 'The Shining'?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more documentary recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse Movies like The Pixar Story Movies like Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Movies like 78/52 Movies like Making 'Taxi Driver'Movies like His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th

About movies like Making 'The Shining'

This ranked list pairs Making 'The Shining' (1980), a documentary film from Vivian Kubrick, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Jack Nicholson take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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