Blumhouse to open horror exhibit at the hotel that inspired ‘The Shining’

Horror film production company Blumhouse is set to open a new exhibit at the hotel in Colorado that was the original inspiration for the 1980 horror classic The Shining.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado will be home to the Stanley Film Center, a 10,000+ square-foot exhibit space, which Blumhouse, who are running the site alongside the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, claim will be “a true horror destination”.

The site is expected to house a number of exhibits from Blumhouse’s extensive catalogue of horror films, television shows and games, describing the exhibit as “a mini-Academy Museum dedicated to horror”.

Jack Nicholson in ‘The Shining’ (1980). CREDIT: LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock Photo

“Here’s Blumhouse!” opened a quote from the Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis. “This iconic Colorado hotel will now have a new element of fun and fright for Coloradans and visitors across the world to enjoy, driving tourism and strengthening our economy. I look forward to seeing the exhibit and am happy that our administration can help make this possible.”

Blumhouse is a prolific producer of horror films, whose credits include the Paranormal Activity series, Get Out, M3GAN, The Purge series and Five Nights at Freddy’s. Its CEO Jason Blum has said: “The Stanley Hotel is hallowed ground for horror fans and that makes this presence at the Stanley Film Center a natural extension for Blumhouse. Fans are going to get closer than ever before to their favorite films, though they may want to keep their distance with a few of the ‘items’ in our collection. We’re excited to get to work, but first we need to make it out of the hedge maze”.

Stephen King, who wrote the 1977 novel of The Shining on which Stanley Kubrick’s film was based, stayed at the Stanley Hotel for one night in 1974 and went on to cite it as an inspiration for the story. Kubrick’s film was shot at the Timberline Lodge in Oregon, but the 1997 television miniseries did shoot at the Stanley Hotel.

John Cullen, the president of the Grand Heritage Hotel Group, which operates the site, added: “We searched the world for the right partner to bring the Stanley Film Center exhibit space to life as a horror destination, and there’s no one better than Blumhouse. With the support of the state of Colorado, and the boundless creativity and worldwide track record of success of Blumhouse, we hope to create something truly special that honors and celebrates the past, present and future of horror.”

Back in 2022, the axe that Jack Nicholson uses to hack through the door during the famous “Here’s Johnny!” scene went on auction. It sold for $175,000 (£138,000).

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