Stephen King’s The Shining was heavily inspired by his time at Colorado’s Stanley Hotel. In the past, it’s taken advantage of the 1977 novel’s success—the 1997 TV miniseries used it as a filming location, and King’s hotel room 217 is now advertised with his name. But if that’s not enough, Blumhouse is now giving the Estes Park location an additional horror boost.
The production company will use the Stanley to curate a 10,000-ft exhibit described as a “mini-Academy Museum dedicated to horror,” said Colorado film commissioner Donald Zuckerman. Nicknamed ‘Blumhouse Space,’ the exhibit will feature material from Blumhouse’s extensive horror lineup of films, TV, and games.
CEO Jason Blum called the hotel “hallowed ground for horror fans…and a natural extension for [us]. 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.”
Per the Denver Post, the aim is for the exhibit to open up sometime in 2026. It’s said to be a $400 million undertaking, according to Colorado governor Jared Polis. Stanley owner John Cullen called Blumhouse the “right partner” to make the hotel a horror destination, and it helps the state get the attention of Blumhouse’s minority owner, NBCUniversal. “Not only are we getting Jason Blum,” he noted, “his parent company wants a piece of this too.”
Universal’s got several theme parks around the world, and Blumhouse has gotten in on that with Halloween horror nights appearances. The exhibit feels like the right kind of extension of what both are already doing, and for longtime fans of the company, it’ll be interesting to eventually walk through the exhibit and chart its history throughout the years. And knowing Blumhouse, it might end up using the exhibit as a shooting location for a future movie.
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