Category: Stephen King

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10 Facts About the Colorado Hotel Stephen King Stayed at When He Came up with “The Shining”

I love all-things horror, and the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, is definitely on my bucket list to visit someday. The hotel was author Stephen King’s inspiration for The Shining, which was published in 1977 and was made into a great horror film in 1980.

King published Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining, in 2013, and the movie version was released just last week. While we’re at it, let’s take a look at the trailer for Doctor Sleep.

And now here are 10 interesting facts about the infamous Stanley Hotel.

1. One night stay

 

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King and his wife Tabitha stayed at the Stanley for one night back in 1974 when King was working as a teacher in Boulder, Colorado.

2. Solitary

The night that King and his wife stayed at the hotel, they were the only guests in the whole place. The Stanley was not a year-round hotel until 1982, and it was the end of the season the night the Kings stayed there.

3. A hard time.

 

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In 1974, Stephen King was suffering from alcoholism and writer’s block.

4. The creepy room.

The Kings stayed in Room 217 the night of the visit, which he wrote into The Shining.

5. The clawfoot tub…

The tub in Room 217 inspired The Shining. King opened the curtain and said to himself, “What if somebody died here? At that moment, I knew I had a book.”

6. The bartender.

After his wife Tabitha went to sleep, King went to the hotel bar and the bartender was named Lloyd Delbert Grady. King used the bartender’s name as inspiration for the characters “Lloyd” the bartender and “Delbert Grady,” the previous caretaker.

7. No cash exchanged.

 

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King tried to give the bartender a $20 bill, and Lloyd Delbert Grady said, “Your money is no good here,” just like in the film. Because it was the end of the season, Grady didn’t want to add more money to his till.

8. But there was another kind of exchange.

Lloyd gave King a glass of whiskey for free, and the writer told him about some ideas he had for books. Lloyd told him personal stories about working at the hotel.

9. Step outside.

 

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King had a nightmare the evening he slept at the Stanley. The next morning he woke up, smoked a cigarette on the balcony outside Room 217, and by the end of his smoke he had the beginning, middle, and end of The Shining in his head.

10. Booked up.

These days, if you want to reserve Room 217 at the Stanley Hotel, keep in mind that it’s usually booked up a year in advance.

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Starbucks Is Offering an “It Frappuccino” That Looks Spooky and Delicious

Here’s another drink you must try this fall. It: Chapter Two recently hit theaters, and Starbucks has decided to offer a drink inspired by Pennywise, the murderous, terrifying clown from the film.

The frappuccino drink features a “strawberry blood” puree. I know I’m in!

The drink is a limited-edition item, and also it isn’t technically on the Starbucks menu, but if you ask your local barista for the Pennywise frappuccino, they’ll most likely know what you’re talking about. The drink has a vanilla bean frappuccino base with the strawberry puree (aka “blood”)  mixed in. You can also add a vanilla bean scone if you want to get crazy.

A lot of Starbucks locations are not advertising the spooky concoction, but some places are letting the world know that they’re offering the drink.

 

The drink seems to be a big hit because photos of it are all over social media.

One barista even got really creative with the cup and decided to draw Pennywise over the Starbucks logo.

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I got to make a couple #itfrappuccino today at my #starbucks!!! Pictured first is my last attempt with a much better depiction of #Pennywise than my first attempt (pictured last). I loooove drawing him so I had to add him for the full effect!!! **PLEASE DO NOT ORDER THIS AS THE IT FRAPPUCCINO, your barista will likely NOT know what that is. Order a Vanilla bean frappuccino with strawberry purée on top! Oh, and PLEASE TIP YOUR #BARISTAS!!!!! @itmovieofficial @andy_muschietti @barbaramus Thank you for such an amazing movie experience these past few years!!! I’m so happy I can incorporate Pennywise into my everyday life ????? ETA//: If you see this featured anywhere please comment or DM me, I would love to see it!!! I also set up a ko-fi in my profile. If you enjoyed this and would like to see more cup art, art in general, or fun drinks, please consider supporting me there!

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The Pennywise frappuccino has actually been around since 2017 when the first It film hit the big screens, but a lot of folks still don’t know it exists.

For the It fans out there, Bill Skarsgård (who plays Pennywise) said there might be a third It film:

“Andy and I have discussed ideas for what a third movie would look like. I don’t think it’s quite what people expect. It’s something different. The first two stories are the book, and the second film is the end of that story. So we would do something quite literally off book. There are a few ideas floating around. I feel like I’ve done what I can with the incarnation of Pennywise as we know of him, so I think it would be a cool idea to change up a few things. So, without going into too much detail, there is a story that we’re kind of excited about, but it’s way too early to say. But we’ll see, we’ll see.”

I can’t wait to try this bloody—I mean strawberry-flavored drink and see a third installment of the series!

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There Are 42 Movie Adaptations of Stephen King Books. How Many Have You Seen?

Stephen King, “The Master of Horror”, just turned 72 years old the other day, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

I think it’s safe to say that Stephen King has had one of the best careers in the history of books. His first novel Carrie was published in 1974, and he’s been on a roll ever since.

A whopping 42 of his books, short stories, and novellas have been adapted for the big screen, and It Chapter Two just recently hit the big screen, adding another notch in King’s belt. And there are more adaptations in the works and coming soon.

Take a look at this list of King’s books that have been turned into films and see how many you’ve seen. Anybody out there with all 42?!?!

1. Carrie (1976)

2. The Shining (1980)

3. Creepshow (1982)

4. Cujo (1983)

5. The Dead Zone (1984)

6. Christine (1983)

7. Children of the Corn (1984)

8. Firestarter (1984)

9. Cat’s Eye (1985)

10. Silver Bullet (1985)

11. Maximum Overdrive (1985)

12. Stand by Me (1986)

13. Creepshow 2 (1987)

14. The Running Man (1987)

15. Pet Sematary (1989)

16. Graveyard Shift (1990)

17. Misery (1990)

18. The Lawnmower Man (1992)

19. The Dark Half  (1993)

20. Needful Things (1993)

21. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

22. The Mangler (1995)

23. Dolores Claiborne (1995)

24. Thinner (1996)

25. The Night Flier (1997)

26. Apt Pupil (1998)

27. The Green Mile (1999)

28. Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

29. Dreamcatcher (2003)

30. Secret Window (2004)

31. Riding the Bullet (2004)

32. 1408 (2007)

33. The Mist (2007)

34. Dolan’s Cadillac (2009)

35. A Good Marriage (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjOnIbXU–M

36. Mercy (2014)

37. Cell (2016)

38. The Dark Tower (2017)

39. It (2017)

40. Gerald’s Game (2017)

41. 1922 (2017)

42. It Chapter Two (2019)

Okay, I’ve seen 21.

Also – that list is straight up insane.

How many do you have under your belt? Share your number (and your favorites) in the comments! Let’s compare!

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Stephen King and His Corgi, “The Thing of Evil”, Are an Inseparable Pair

Stephen King is undoubtedly the master of horror. From the terrifying Pennywise in It to, well, just about everything in The Shining, his characters stay with you long after you’ve closed the book. Given that he has such an imagination for terror, it begs the question: what is the scariest foe the horror master has ever faced?

His adorable corgi, Molly.

He’s dubbed his dog “The Thing of Evil” and recounts her adventures (and misadventures) on Twitter. Here are 15 of his most entertaining tweets about the evil that actually haunts his life.

15. A suitable breakfast

Photo Credit: Twitter

14. Evil is ready for belly rubs

Photo Credit: Twitter

13. Halloween thief

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. Ever vigilant

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. Fashion police

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. A delicious birthday treat

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Waiting for Santa

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. A dog of letters

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. It sleeps with the fishes

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. So cute!

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. Well played, Molly

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. Life sentence

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Drive!

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. One ring to rule them all

Photo Credit: Twitter

1. Poor flamingo

Photo Credit: Twitter

Truly terrifying to behold.

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10 Ghost Tours That Will Seriously Give You the Creeps

I really, really love all things creepy. I’m talking about scary movies, scary books, scary everything.

If you like to dabble in scary tourism, this is just the list for you.

Today we take a look at 10 real-life, creepy tours recommended by the Buzzfeed community that are guaranteed to give you a good scare.

1. The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

“The Stanley Hotel (where The Shining was filmed) offers guided tours, and you can even spend the night in specific rooms that are reported to have ‘higher than usual activity.’ The guide said many people died building the hotel, and their ghosts will often come out to ensure guests are enjoying it.

While on the tour, one of the guides encouraged me to take a picture in this one dark hallway. When I had the film developed, there were two orbs, one on each side of me, clear as could be. So spooky.”

2. The Jennie Wade House – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

“After taking pictures on the Jennie Wade House tour, a bunch of my friends and I had photos turn out really strangely— there were giant clouds and shadows in weird spots.

At one point, we also heard footsteps upstairs and thought it was the other tour group, but then we found out they were in the basement.

A chain that was blocking off a section began to swing in circles with nobody touching it — scary!”

3. Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum – Las Vegas, Nevada

“Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum is located in a mansion that the state of Nevada deemed haunted after they found a pentagram, human flesh, and streaks of blood in it in the ’70s.

It contains 30 rooms of artifacts from Zak’s personal collection, including an allegedly demonic chair that was used during the Ed and Lorraine Warren exorcisms!”

4. Jack the Ripper Tour – London, England

“Last Halloween, a few friends and I went on the Jack the Ripper guided tour in London. Our host was amazing — she took us on a walk to all the spots where the murders had happened and the victims were found. She had photos and went into a LOT of detail about the killings.

The night itself was freezing cold, which literally added to the chill of everything!”

5. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Louisville, Kentucky

“I did an overnight paranormal investigation at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium just for fun, not believing I’d experience anything paranormal. It was life-changing!

I saw and heard things that night that I never thought could happen. It was both terrifying and fascinating.

I’d do it again any day.”

6. Manly Quarantine Station – Sydney, Australia

“Q Station is by far the scariest tour ever!! There’s so much amazing history to the place, which has pitch black buildings, cold spots, and decontamination showers.

Oh, and a couple of jump scares thrown in for good measure!”

7. French Quarter Ghost & Legends Tour – New Orleans, Louisiana

“This tour in the French Quarter of New Orleans is such a fun and interesting tour of all of the crazy happenings down there. It is especially terrifying to go see the Lalaurie Mansion, home of serial killer Madame Lalaurie.

Nic Cage used to own the home but he would never spend the night because of what had happened in it!”

8. The Crescent Hotel – Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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Its National Paranormal Day! ? So let's throw it back to 2012 when me and my uncle were into Ghost Hunting and he took us on a road trip from Missouri to the infamous Crescent Hotel located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Honestly, a really beautiful place with a chilling history. The Crescent Hotel is known to be one of the most haunted hotels in America. It was first a resort for the rich that became a hospital for cancer patients. Unfortunately, the "doctor" Norman Baker was running scams and likely performing dangerous experiments on the patients leading to their death. He was found to not have any medical training and was eventually arrested. When we went, we only caught a few orbs (seen in a few of the pics) on the haunted tour and my mom's arm got yanked while she was sleeping. Yes, we stayed overnight! What's crazy is that recently there has been an unearthing of jars filled with body parts. This discovery happened after the recent Ghost Adventures visit in February! Creepy! • • • #nationalparanormalday #Horrorjunkie #GhostHunting #GhostAdventures #EurekaSprings #Arkansas #TheCrescentHotel #MostHaunted #Haunts #Ghosts #Mansion #Roadtrip #Scary #Hotel #Missouri #Travel #GhostTown #Supernatural #Paranormal #Creepy

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“On the Crescent Hotel tour, they talk about many different ghosts that stay in certain rooms and areas.

Plus, they even have a cat ghost!!!”

9. The Sorrel-Weed House Tour – Savannah, Georgia

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#noghostswereseen

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“The Sorrel-Weed House Tour is all fun and games until you descend into the basement.

It’s hands down the creepiest place I’ve ever set foot in. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.”

10. The Joshua Ward House Tour – Salem, Massachusetts

“When I went on a tour of the Joshua Ward House — which was once the home of a High Sheriff in the Salem Witch Trials — I was suddenly overwhelmed by a chilling feeling when I was standing by the basement.

The next day, a bruise in the shape of a bite mark from HUMAN TEETH showed up on my ankle!”

Are your bags packed yet?

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When he was a child, Stephen…

When he was a child, Stephen King witnessed one of his friends being killed by a train, though he has no memory of the event. His family told him that after leaving to go play with the boy, King returned, speechless and in shock. Only later did the family learn of the friend’s death.

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When he was a child, Stephen…

When he was a child, Stephen King witnessed one of his friends being killed by a train, though he has no memory of the event. His family told him that after leaving to go play with the boy, King returned, speechless and in shock. Only later did the family learn of the friend’s death.

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Stephen King’s Mind-Blowing Prediction for the End of “Game of Thrones” is The Ending We Deserved

Stephen King is the undisputable master of macabre, and one of the most brilliant storytellers of our times. He’s also a huge fan of Game of Thrones, and decided to share his own theory about how the show should have wrapped up prior to the airing of the show’s series finale.

Considering he’s a guy who has authored over 50 novels and is legit buddies with George RR Martin, it’s probably worth listening to what he has to say.

And before anybody has anything to say, King already has the clap back ready…

Now, the internet had a few thoughts… and this is earlier on when Cersei was still alive, so there was one prediction that King responded to.

First, the tweet…

Then King’s response…

We know that’s bullshit now that Sansa stayed put in Winterfell and Arya almost got killed by Dany’s and Drogon’s reign of fire and blood.

Still there are some other crazy theories that have no basis in reality that are fun to read…

Some thing Arya will still be the one…

And some want Baratheon’s bastard to ascend…

Some had praise for King’s ending…

What do you think?

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Stephen King’s Greatest Horror? His Corgi Molly, “The Thing of Evil”

Stephen King is the undisputed kind of horror. From the absolutely terrifying Pennywise the Clown in It to pretty much all of The Shining, his characters tend to stay with you well after you’ve already closed the book. In fact, when I was a kid, my mom just gave ne a verbal summary of the plot of It, and it scared me so much I was afraid of going near gutters for months!

Knowing that he’s the master of all things scary, we wondered, “What terrifies Stephen King?” The answer? His adorable corgi, Molly.

He’s dubbed his dog “The Thing of Evil” and recounts her adventures (and misadventures) on Twitter. Here are 15 of his most entertaining tweets about the evil that actually haunts his life.

15. Ever vigilant

Photo Credit: Twitter

14. A suitable breakfast

Photo Credit: Twitter

13. Drive!

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. One ring to rule them all

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. Poor flamingo

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. Fashion police

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. A delicious birthday treat

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. Evil is ready for belly rubs

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. Halloween thief

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. Waiting for Santa

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. A dog of letters

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. It sleeps with the fishes

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. So cute!

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. Well played, Molly

Photo Credit: Twitter

1. Life sentence

Photo Credit: Twitter

Truly terrifying to behold.

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