What real-world hotel was the inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining?
I’ve been to some shady hotels in my time, but none that made me so fearful for my life that I wrote one of the most iconic horror novels of all time.
As scary as the book is, the film is something else. Yes, I prefer Kubrick's version of The Shining over King’s, but it’s not because I hate reading. It’s partially because it’s just an expertly crafted movie that is packed with details and secrets, but also because of the crazy conspiracies surrounding it.
People have stitched together some truly out there theories based on this movie. Everything from it being Kubrick secretly admitting to faking the moon landing to some kind of political commentary. It’s a deep rabbit hole if you want to dive in.
As far as the hotel that inspired the book, I’ve actually stayed at this same hotel — but I never saw any creepy twins or had any urges to murder my family with an axe. I wonder if it’s actually the hotel that is haunted or if King just brings bad vibes with him?
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The answer is: Stanley Hotel. King didn’t intend to write The Shining until he took a trip down to Colorado and stayed at the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. He and his wife took a trip there in 1974 right before it closed for the winter, meaning they were the only guests. The story goes that King had terrible nightmares that first night (in room 217 of course) which gave him the entire plot for the book.Source
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