The Stanley Hotel is a historic Colonial Revival hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, close to Rocky Mountain National Park. Opened in 1909 by Freelan Oscar Stanley, one of the men behind the Stanley Steamer automobile, the hotel sits above the town with wide views of the Rocky Mountains. Its white exterior, red roof and isolated mountain setting have made it one of the most famous hotels in American horror culture.
The hotel is best known for inspiring Stephen King’s novel The Shining (1977), after King and his wife Tabitha stayed there in 1974. However, it is important to separate the hotel’s literary connection from the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film. Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) was not filmed at The Stanley Hotel; the exterior of the Overlook Hotel was Timberline Lodge in Oregon, while interiors were shot on sets in England. The Stanley Hotel was instead used as the actual filming location for Stephen King’s own TV miniseries version of “The Shining” (1997). The hotel also appears in Dumb and Dumber (1994), where it plays the fictional Danbury Hotel in Aspen.
In Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Stanley Hotel stands in for the luxurious Danbury Hotel, where Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne stay after arriving in Aspen. The elegant old hotel contrasts with the stupidity of the two main characters, making it a perfect setting for the film’s rich-resort comedy. Several of the Aspen hotel scenes were filmed here, even though the real hotel is in Estes Park rather than Aspen.
In “The Shining” (1997), The Stanley Hotel becomes the Overlook Hotel itself. The miniseries was written and produced by Stephen King, who wanted a version closer to his novel than Kubrick’s film. Unlike the 1980 movie, the 1997 adaptation was filmed at The Stanley Hotel, using the building’s exterior, interiors and mountain setting to connect the story more directly to the place that inspired it.
The hotel’s connection to “The Shining” has also shaped its modern identity. It offers Shining-related tours, has embraced its haunted reputation, and even added a hedge maze in 2015 as a tribute to the maze made famous by Kubrick’s film, even though that maze was not part of the original hotel or King’s novel.
Dumb and Dumber
Dumb and Dumber was shot across Rhode Island, Utah and Colorado, with several places standing in for other parts of the story.
Indiana Jones Bed & Breakfast
Indiana Jones Bed & Breakfast in Antonito, Colorado, is one of the most charming real-world locations connected to "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
Double Arch
Double Arch is best known from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where it appears during the prologue with young Indiana Jones, played by River Phoenix.
Devils Tower
Devils Tower is most famously connected to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977). It also appears in the science-fiction comedy "Paul" (2011).
Ontario Mine
Ontario Mine has been used in both horror and modern Western crime drama. It appears in the horror film The Boogens, and as a recurring location in Marshals.
Boneyard Saloon
Boneyard Saloon is used in Marshals, where it stands in for the fictional Bullet ’n Barrel Saloon. In the series, the bar functions as a local watering hole.
Two Pines Chapel
Two Pines Chapel appears in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), and True Confessions (1981).
The Donut Hole
The Donut Hole has appeared in Moving Violations (1985), Dragnet (1987), and Calendar Girl (1993).
Puente Hills Mall
Puente Hills Mall is best known from Back to the Future (1985), where it appears as Twin Pines Mall and later Lone Pine Mall, where the parking place is used.
Whittier High School
Whittier High School is best known from "Back to the Future" (1985) and "Back to the Future Part II" (1989), where it appears as Hill Valley High School.
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