Considered by those with an interest in the paranormal to be among the world's most haunted hotels, the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, inspired the setting for Stephen King’s novel The Shining and Stanley Kubrick’s subsequent film adaptation. The hauntings date back to 1911 when the chief housekeeper, Ms. Elizabeth Wilson, was blasted through the floor of room 217 by a lantern explosion.

Wilson survived, but guests have experienced strange phenomena in the room ever since. Ghosts of the hotel’s original builder, Freelan Stanley, and his wife have been spotted floating around, with the disembodied laughter and yelling of children also reported by visitors.

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