Buzz
The Stanley Hotel is ready to turn your Stephen King-inspired nightmares into reality.
Located in Estes Park, Colorado, the Stanley Hotel rose to fame after its eerie, supposedly haunted halls served as the inspiration for Stephen King's infamous Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Now, visitors have the chance to recreate the movie's climactic moment—Jack Torrance chasing his son Danny through the maze, ax in hand.
John W. Cullen recently celebrated two decades of owning The Stanley Hotel by unveiling a hedge maze inspired by The Shining. The maze's intricate design was created by New York architect Mairim Dallaryan Standing, who won a public competition earlier this year to bring the vision to life.
The maze scene wasn't part of the original novel and was never actually filmed at The Stanley Hotel. However, Cullen shared with The New York Times that due to guests constantly searching for the maze, he finally decided to create one to satisfy their curiosity.
Spanning 10,100 square feet, the maze adds a playful touch to the property and is expected to attract even more visitors than the hotel’s other eerie attractions, which include zombie film festivals, psychic readings, and ghost tours. However, visitors shouldn’t expect Standing’s maze to perfectly mirror the one from The Shining’s movie adaptation. The maze features 3-foot juniper trees, instead of the towering 13-foot versions, to ensure that children don’t get lost. While some adult visitors have expressed disappointment, The Shining’s young Danny would likely have approved of this child-friendly decision.
