To get into the Halloween spirit, some people go on graveyard tours, some go for haunted hayrides and others just want to roam the halls of the Overlook Hotel and scream, "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" While the last activity might seem like a far-fetched dream, it's a bit more realistic than you might think, considering that the hotel the Overlook is based on in director Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is getting a complete makeover — not to look exactly like its fictive film counterpart but as a major center, archive and more for the horror genre.
The Overlook's real-life counterpart, the Stanley Hotel, announced plans to construct a horror-themed museum with a film studio and archive — the only one of its kind, according to the Denver Business Journal. An official press release went into design specifics and amenities, which included:
"... a 500-seat auditorium; a 30,000 sq. ft., interactive museum and discovery center, featuring rotating exhibits such as The Walking Dead; a 3,000 sq. ft. soundstage; classrooms and workshop spaces; and cutting-edge post-production and editing suites."
Among the backers for the project are members of the Hollywood elite, such as Simon Pegg, director George A. Romero and Elijah Wood, all of whom sit on the Stanley's Founding Board.
Located in Estes Park, Colo., the Stanley Hotel (no relation to Kubrick via name) was founded in 1909 by an investor named Freelan Oscar ("F.O.") Stanley and his wife, Flora, who intended to turn it into an East Coast-style go-to luxury destination for wealthy patrons. The Stanleys' establishment soon led to a bolstered uptick in quality of life in the surrounding areas, which in turn fostered their resort.
However, by 1970, when author Stephen King visited the hotel, its grandeur and reputation had faded, and the site was purportedly haunted by the ghosts of F.O. and Flora, who, as legend goes, still continue to roam their beloved halls and rooms, overseeing business as if they were still alive. The stay was enough to prompt King to use the location in his first hardback bestseller, The Shining, and the rest was history.
Despite the Stanley Hotel's ambitious plans, the construction of the multi-million dollar horror center isn't set in stone. While the hotel's Founding Board is seeking state funding through the State of Colorado's Regional Tourism Act, if its application is accepted, it will be granted $11.5 million as credit.
Via: The Mary Sue
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