There are intriguing claims about the Stanley Hotel, renowned for its ghosts featured in books and movies.
The movie “The Shining,” featuring Jack Nicholson’s outstanding performance and directed by Stanley Kubrick, is well-known to us all. Alongside the film, the Overlook Hotel gained fame.
In 1917, Elizabeth Wilson, the head housekeeper at the Overlook Hotel, wanted to light up the hotel with lanterns during a severe storm when the power went out. While using a lantern to light room 217, it exploded with a loud noise, causing the floor beneath her to collapse. Wilson miraculously survived with only two broken ankles.
What makes Wilson’s story even more eerie is that newspapers reported the incident under different names for the housekeeper since all the staff records were lost, and the identity of the person in that room remains unknown.
Room 217
When Jim Carrey came to the Stanley hotel for the filming of “Dumb and Dumber,” he wanted to stay in room 217. However, Carrey mysteriously requested to leave just three hours after settling in, without giving any explanation, adding to the room’s mystery.
Kevin Lofy, the department manager, said, “None of us know what happened in that room, he never talks about it,” making the event truly terrifying.
Many ghost hunters claim that room 401 is the hotel’s most haunted, with reports of a thieving ghost moving or stealing guests’ belongings. The fourth floor of the hotel is also considered a hotspot for paranormal activities, with constant eerie children’s laughter heard.
Another famous ghost frequently reported in the hotel is the spirit of former repairman Paul. The guide of the hotel’s ghost tours claims that Paul’s spirit interacts with guests during night tours. Paul, who died of a heart attack while shoveling snow outside in 2005, is said to be an active presence during these tours.
The hotel also screens an adaptation of “The Shining” for its guests and offers daily tours for those who want to experience the haunted hotel. These tours attract tens of thousands of participants annually, and tickets for the paranormal tours held five times a month from 9 PM to 2 AM sell out weeks in advance.
During the Stanley tours, some guests are taken to the basement, one of the most frightening places mentioned in the novel. Some “ghost hunters” believe that Flora Stanley, the wife of the long-deceased owner Freelan Stanley, still plays the piano. Additionally, there are claims of seeing Freelan Stanley multiple times in the beloved billiard room and bar of the Stanley hotel.
POPULAR CULTURE | STANLEY HOTEL
In addition to “The Shining,” several films, series, documentaries, and books have been made about the Stanley Hotel. Among the most famous are:
- The documentary “Room 237” explores various interpretations of “The Shining” and the symbolic meanings of the Stanley Hotel.
- The documentary series “The Ghosts of Stanley Hotel” delves into the ghost stories and paranormal activities of the hotel.
- The series “Dead Still” narrates horror-thriller stories set near the Stanley Hotel.
- The book “The Stanley Hotel: An Estes Park Landmark” details the hotel’s history and various intriguing events.
- The book “Haunted Heartland” includes ghost stories of the Stanley Hotel and other similar horror tales.
