The Overlook Hotel that is featured in the classic horror movie "The Shining" is not a real existing hotel. The interior of the Overlook Hotel was created as an elaborate set inside old stages at Elstree Studios, which is located in Borehamwood, England.
If only you could visit the Overlook Hotel and feel the bone-chilling energy of the movie for yourself . . . oh wait, you can. While the Overlook Hotel from the movie doesn't actually exist, it is based on The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO: a 142-room colonial revival hotel nestled in the Rocky Mountains.
The story of the Torrence family and the Overlook Hotel is one of the most well-known in horror. While the "The Shining" is a work of fiction, it was inspired by a very real 105-year-old piece of history that is still open today.
The Shining is partially based on a true story, as the supernatural elements of Jack Torrance's stay at the Overlook Hotel are inspired by a real haunting in Colorado and the Stanley Hotel where King stayed.
The Shining Tour, is one of our newest tours. Indoor/Outdoor walking tour through the west side of The Stanley Hotel Campus. A lot of Stephen King, a bit of History, and a whole lot of stories of the spirited variety! This tour includes a visit to The Shining Suite, in our beautifully restored 1909 Caretaker's Cottage.
Inside The Spooky Hotel That Inspired ‘The Shining’ | TODAY
Can you stay in room 237 at the Stanley Hotel?
Unfortunately for them, Room 237 doesn't exist at their property, and the Stanley says 217 has become its most requested accommodation, with reservations currently on the books for the next several Halloweens. We sought out the room, but it was disappointingly normal, at least from the outside.
Moments later, he would improvise the “Here's Johnny!” line, which was a reference to the intro of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Interestingly, Kubrick originally shot the scene with a fake door, but Nicholson – who once trained as a fire marshal – chopped it down too quickly.
Room 237 in the film is where Danny and Jack encounter a ghostly woman, but her true identity remains unclear, leading to different theories. Theories suggest that the woman in room 237 could be the mother of the Grady twins, Bob T. Watson's wife or sister, or represent sexual abuse within the story.
The family has to care for the hotel for the winter, but they cannot leave the mountainous area. In this isolation every day becomes the same for Jack as his writer's block becomes quotidian. The combination of isolation, monotony, creative frustration, and supernatural forces extract Jack's insanity.
“However, Jim Carrey didn't last long," Andy added. "In the middle of his first night, he came down to the front desk and demanded to be moved to another room, saying something had happened and he did not feel safe in the room. When we told him the hotel was fully booked, he fled, presumably to another hotel in town.
The (real) hotel featured in the movie (the Timberline Lodge in Oregon) has no maze at all, and all of the interiors, and the maze in the movie were actually created in three separate locations in England. The section of the maze used for the summer sequences (hedges at Radlett aerodrome) and its plan.
The Gold Room, where the infamous bartender Lloyd (Joe Turkel) serves Jack Torrance (Nicholson) drinks, is a location that exudes both luxury and unease. This location was a set constructed at Elstree Studios, meticulously designed to portray opulence while maintaining a sense of uneasiness.
The boiler explodes, killing Jack and destroying the Overlook. Fighting off a last attempt by the hotel to possess him, Hallorann guides Danny and Wendy to safety. The book's epilogue is set during the next summer.
The exterior shots of the Overlook Hotel were filmed at the Timberline Lodge in Oregon, while the interiors were filmed at Elstree Studios in England. The opening sequence of the film, following Jack's car to the resort, was filmed in Glacier National Park, Montana, with additional footage later used in Blade Runner.
Amazingly, no one was killed, not even Mrs. Wilson, who sustained little more than two broken ankles and a story she would tell until her dying day. Still, the damage was done, and the legend was starting to unfold.
The room was inhabited in the past, by a Lorraine Massey who would usually seduce young bellboys who would visit her room. Danny Torrance visited this room after a ball strangely rolled to him from its open doors.
When production began, the hotel expressed concerns that people wouldn't want to stay in its Room 217 if they associated it with a horror story. Kubrick changed the number to 237, since the Timberline doesn't have a Room 237.
The ending of The Shining, particularly the photo of Jack in the 1921 ballroom, suggests that Jack is a reincarnation of a former hotel employee, although this explanation is not explicitly stated in the film. The Shining explores themes of cyclical violence and abuse, and Kubrick's film is full...
John Daniel Edward "Jack" Torrance is the secondary antagonist of the 1980 psychological horror film The Shining and a minor character in its 2019 supernatural horror sequel Doctor Sleep, both based on the respective Stephen King's 1977 and 2013 novels of the same name.
Oddly though, the hotel connects Stephen King's The Shining to another unexpected film: Dumb and Dumber. Jim Carrey stayed in Room 217 at the hotel during the filming of Dumb and Dumber, an experience he has yet to reveal the details of to the public.
What horror movie was filmed at The Stanley Hotel?
NRHP reference No. The Stanley Hotel served as the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's 1977 novel The Shining and its 1980 film adaptation. It was also a filming location for the related 1997 TV miniseries.
Aspire at The Stanley offers apartment-style residences for extended stays. The Residences at The Stanley are expansive condominiums on the captivating grounds overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park.
