Though the original 1977 film The Shining was not shot on location, the stately old Estes Park, Colorado hotel played an important role in its creation. A later version of the story was made into a miniseries which was actually filmed at the hotel.
The Stanley Hotel and the Original Film The Shining
If it wasn’t for the Stanley Hotel, Stephen King might never have written The Shining. In 1973, King stayed in Room 217, where he found inspiration for his bestselling horror novel. The Shining is about a writer battling alcoholism who takes a job at an isolated hotel. Jack Torrance and his family are totally cut off from the outside world for a long stretch in the dead of winter because of heavy snowfall. His son begins to see ghosts and have psychic experiences that foreshadow some evil happening. Jack begins to slowly lose touch with reality and threatens the lives of his his terrified wife and son, who are unable to seek help because of the remote location. Though the hotel served as inspiration for the novel, The 1977 film The Shining was not shot at the Stanley Hotel.
Too many problems prevented the 1977 film, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, from being filmed at the Stanley Hotel. The hotel in the story was supposed to be isolated and the Stanley was too close to Estes Park. Furthermore, there wasn’t enough snow. The Timberline Hotel Lodge in Mt. Hood, Oregon was used for the exterior film shots, and Kubrick built sets for the hotel interior shown in the original film.
The Shining 1997 Miniseries
Though the original film was shot elsewhere, the TV miniseries which aired on ABC in 1997 was filmed at the hotel. Produced by Stephen King, this series stars Stephen Weber and Rebecca DeMornay. The six-hour series follows the events in the book more closely than the Kubrick film.
Two dollhouse-sized replicas of the hotel were made for the ABC miniseries. One of the little replicas of the hotel was used in the scene where the hotel burns down. An extra was made in case the first take failed. Since the second dollhouse wasn’t used, it was given to the Stanley Hotel, where it remains on display.
Facts about the Stanley Hotel and the Making of The Shining
- The inspiration for Stephen King’s novel came from a stay at the Stanley Hotel
- The original film was not shot at the Stanley Hotel
- The Timberline Hotel Lodge in Mt. Hood Oregon was used for exterior film shots in the 1977 film
- The 1997 Miniseries was shot on location at the Stanley Hotel
- The Stanley Hotel does not have a hedge maze-that was created for the film from the novel
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