One of the nation's most infamously haunted locations, the Stanley Hotel, is located in a remote area, only 70 miles from bustling downtown Denver, Colorado. Many have heard of it as it inspired Stephen King's blockbuster horror novel, The Shining.

In October 1974, Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha King, decided to take a trip from their home in Boulder to the adjacent resort town of Estes Park. They reserved a room at the Stanley Hotel only a few days before it closed for the winter. Who knew Room 217 would soon become the inspiration for one of Stephen King's most well-known books, which would subsequently be adapted by Stanley Kubrick into one of the most talked-about horror movies of the century? It all began with a nightmare in which King, helpless, watched as his little son was chased through the Stanley Hotel's hallway by a huge firehose. The firehose would ultimately triumph, wrapping itself around King's son like a giant snake and devouring him whole. King would awaken in a pool of his own sweat, running to his hotel window for a cigarette to calm his nerves down. Just a few years before The Shining would be finished, he would get the first inspiration for it there, gazing out into the solitude of the Colorado wilderness.

According to witness accounts, a terrible event in Room 217 during the hotel's formative years served as an early warning of the murky past that would accompany the Stanley Hotel for the remainder of its existence. One late night, as a snowstorm was approaching, the head housekeeper, Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson, was going around the hotel, igniting lanterns in case of a power loss. Meanwhile, the second floor was gradually saturating with combustible gas from a leak. An explosion rocked the hotel as Wilson entered room 217 and lit a match. The blast destroyed the room, the hallway, and the floor, plunging her into the dining area below. Surprisingly, Mrs. Wilson survived and recounted this story until the day she passed. However, many believe that Mrs. Wilson's ghost is still present in the room which caused her so much trauma. Guests in Room 217 have long reported seeing somebody move furniture around or turn on and off lights. Some unmarried couples claim that a cold force trapped between their sleeping bodies is evidence that Mrs. Wilson is still present.

Although much of Stephen King's setting for The Shining was made up, his depiction of the scariest hotel room was authentic. Room 217 and the Stanley Hotel's reputation continue to terrify, not only in the realms of film and literature but also in the real world. Would you risk staying in Room 217 today? Apparently, Room 217 has become Stanley's most requested accommodation, with reservations on the books for the next several Halloweens. So book in advance!

Eddie,
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