Blumhouse Productions LLC and streaming-video service Peacock are taking over the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park this month for a series of “Overnightmare” events, allowing hotel guests to fully indulge their horror-movie fandom in one of the genre’s most iconic settings.
The hotel, which is expected to be sold to a state entity in the very near future, will offer four different two-night experiences Oct. 18-20, each with horror movie-themed interactive challenges and film screenings. The 116-year-old, 140-room Stanley Hotel inspired Stephen King’s “The Shining” novel, which was adapted to the big screen by director Stanley Kubrick in a film widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest entries in the horror-film genre. The lodge will soon be home to the Stanley Film Center, which will include exhibits curated by Blumhouse, the juggernaut production company behind horror films and franchises such as “Get Out,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Paranormal Activity.”
In late May, Colorado lawmakers passed the Creative Industry Community Revitalization Incentives legislation, House Bill 1295, which helped to pave the way for the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority to facilitate a plan to buy the Stanley from Grand Heritage and see a long-languishing film center at the hotel completed. Once complete, the Stanley Film Center will be “a two-story building with approximately 64,735 square feet, to include an approximately 864-seat outdoor amphitheater with a fire capacity of 1,200 (including standing room-only), an event center, a film museum, a sound stage and related amenities, to be constructed adjacent to the main hotel building and connected to the concert hall,” according to a state documents.
During a recent visit from staff with Blumhouse and its parent companies NBCUniversal Media LLC and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA), the parties agreed on a deal to allow the Stanley to host four film festivals — with a new movie launched at each — over the next year. Management at the Stanley is part of a regional push to bring the Sundance Film Festival to nearby Boulder, which was selected as one of finalist cities to host the world-renowned event for a decade starting in 2027. If Boulder is selected, the Stanley and its film center would likely host some Sundance events during the festival week.
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