Stephen King’s The Shining Inspires World’s First Horror Museum

BreakingModern — Rejoice, horror fans! Scary movies are finally getting their own year-round museum, described as “world’s first horror themed museum, film archive and film production studio.”

Even those too squeamish to watch the creepy films have to admit that the museum’s venue can’t be beat. The horror museum will be based in the very hotel that inspired Stephen King to write his classic novel, The Shining, in the 1970s. The Stanley Hotel (it’s not called The Overlook Hotel in real life — sorry, guys) already hosts the annual Stanley Film Festival, a horror-themed film festival that began in 2013. In other words, the people of the Stanley are already practically experts in the realm of horror.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Stanley Hotel is quite possibly an actual haunted house. According to legend, Jim Carrey (who filmed Dumb and Dumber at the hotel — who knew?) stayed in the same room that inspired King’s sinister tale. In the middle of his first night at the hotel, a panicky Carrey bounded into the lobby demanding to be moved to another room. Upon hearing that no other rooms were available, he immediately ran off to another hotel in town, never to speak of what horrors he encountered in the hotel’s legendary Room 217. Spooky stuff.

So what can guests expect from a visit to the horror museum? A 500-seat auditorium, an 30,000-foot interactive museum, and an ever-changing roster of exhibits from the likes of The Walking Dead creator Charlie Adlard and Clive Barker, director/producer of Hellraiser. The hotel also hopes to found the Stanley Film Center on the property, offering classes and workshops on the art of horror.

Famous horror nerds Elijah Wood, Simon Pegg and George A. Romero have already attached themselves to the project, each taking a place on the museum’s founding board. According to Wood, “There’s really no better place for there to be a permanent home for the celebration of horror as an art form than the Stanley Hotel.”

However, don’t start planning your trip just yet. The Stanley is still raising the $24 million necessary to develop the museum and film center. It’s asking the state of Colorado to pony up $11.5 million for the project. (No word yet on whether the state will actually come through with the dough.)

In the meantime, in order to tide guests over before the museum becomes a reality, the Stanley Hotel has constructed a maze to mimic the iconic climax from The Shining. However, don’t get too scared. The maze’s hedges are only a few feet high.

Like most of the hotel’s guests, you might want to spend your time at the Stanley hiking around Estes Park and enjoying its thriving elk population for the time being. Think that’s not scary? Wait until you see the size of those elk horns.

For BMod, I’m .

All Screenshots: BMod Staff

Alison Maney

Author: Alison Maney

Based in NYC, Alison Maney covers lifestyle, trends and movies for BreakingModern. Follow her @sheepandcake on Twitter.

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