Firstly, the Burns sisters recall being treated very well on the set of “The Shining.” Because they were only 12, the production staff was sensitive to their working hours and if they were being looked after, so they were accompanied at all times by an escort. “[O]ur parents were never worried,” they said, “or thought that we should stop shooting the film. They were and are very supportive of us.”
When it came to their ghostly performances, the Burns sisters said they practiced their speaking in unison, and tapped into what they considered to be their natural scariness. “We’re naturally spooky!” they said. “But we did practice our timing — saying things in unison — and we worked on saying our lines in a hollow, other-worldly kind of way a number of times.” In order to take the curse off of their murder scene, the special effects technicians on “The Shining” went to great lengths to make sure the Burns sisters weren’t frightened. Makeup artist Tom Smith walked them through how fake blood was made, and told repeatedly that this was a fictional piece of playacting. They said:
“They were very concerned that we would be frightened of the fake blood in the scene where we’ve been murdered. So Tom showed us how he made his ‘blood’ and it really looked just like the real thing. He even let us each keep a bottle, which we still have!”
One hopes the Burns sisters have made sure the blood hasn’t dried out.