All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but if Jack wants to be part of horror and hotel history, he might want to work a little harder and design a hedge maze for the hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining.
The Stanley Hotel, otherwise known as the Overlook Hotel in the famous horror novel, is looking for someone to design a hedge maze, similar to the one seen in the Stanley Kubrick film based on the book.
That's right, the famous hotel is looking for fans of Stephen King to design a new maze that will become a reality later this year. Those interested in entering the Stanley Hotel Public Hedge Maze can submit their ideas here. The rules state that the maze must be 61,500 square feet and use up to 2,000 hedge bushes. The hotel has even posted a basic maze template on the hotel's contest website, as well as rules for the contest and an example of exactly what they're looking for.
The winner will get a plaque with their name on it, which will be hung at the center of the maze.
Of course, for real inspiration, you could just watch the movie, where a maze appeared as part of a terrifying chase sequence during a snow storm at the hotel.The film also showed several scenes including a small-scale model of the maze.
So how did the hotel serve as inspiration for King's book? It turns out that King stayed there in 1976 and was so taken by the hotel, he wrote the bestselling novel. Since then, the Stanley Hotel has attracted both tourists and horror fans, gaining a bit of a reputation as a haunted hotel.
"There are few hotels in the world that share a history and story as unique as that of the Stanley Hotel," says John W. Cullen, the hotel's current owner. "I am thrilled to share this special moment in my life and the hotel's history. We have built this place together over the years and I'm excited to invite everyone to be a part of its legacy through this special design contest."
The Stanley Hotel opened in 1909 and was originally owned by Freelan Oscar Stanley, who created the Stanley Steamer automobile. After King's stay in 1973, though, the hotel's secured its place in history.
[Photo Credit: Warner Brothers]
