Overlook Hotel Gingerbread House: Family Creates ‘The Shining’ Hotel Replica

The Overlook Hotel from the 1980 classic film, The Shining had a very distinct look — turning the primary setting of the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece into a memorable icon.

Decades after the suspenseful thriller starring Jack Nicholson debuted in films, many fans and critics of the film simply cannot get the image and layout of the Overlook Hotel out of their heads.

One family recently turned the unforgettable hotel into a tasty treat, and work of art, by creating a gingerbread house replica of the massive building.

Imgur user Agkeeling reportedly shared nearly 30 photos of the detailed replica from different angles and perspectives online, according to the Huffington Post. By doing so, Agkeeling essentially invited the rest of the world to become virtual house guests — enjoying a close-up glimpse of a gingerbread replica of the Overlook Hotel.

The photos were also posted online by a Reddit user that shared details about the gingerbread replica and all of the hard work and effort that went into it. According to the Reddit user, this culinary project and cinematic tribute (which took nearly two weeks to complete) is actually part of an annual family tradition.

“We worked on and off for about two weeks. My dad does all of the design from photos. We do one nearly every year – no duplicates… It is a Christmas ritual to have fights during the construction. Finally, we have many pictures of others, just first year posting to Reddit.”

Instead of solely focusing on recreating the exterior structure of the Overlook Hotel, this family apparently stepped things up a few notches – bringing an impressive attention to detail along with them.

As seen in the picture, the Overlook Hotel replica came complete with an outdoors setting — including the infamous hedge maze, which was reportedly recreated using Rice Krispies treats.

This detailed construction project even focused on the interior of the Overlook Hotel, capturing key elements of the setting that played their own respective roles throughout the film. According to the report, several different interior rooms depicted memorable scenes from the movie, including:

1) A hallway with the creepy twin sisters standing side-by-side holding hands.
2) The suspenseful bathroom scene featuring Jack (Nicholson) and Wendy (played by Shelley Duvall).
3) Room 237, which also featured pictures and carpet printed on edible paper — and much more!

Reviewing the layout of the Overlook Hotel may remind some longtime fans of the critics of The Shining just how confusing it all was in the first place. When examining the exterior structure of the actual hotel set in comparison to the interior rooms and hallways featured in the film, a number of discrepancies appear.

For instance, Jack Ullman’s office had a window that provided him with an outside view, according to Mental Floss. However, there were numerous rooms surrounding his office within the Overlook Hotel — making the placement of that window impossible. According to the report, that is not the only window placement that doesn’t make sense with the rest of the movie. The appearance of the hallway located in the Colorado Lounge of the Overlook was also confusing.

Even though it might seem like these mistakes were undetected and overlooked by the Kubrick and his crew, they were apparently intentional. Jan Harlan, the executive producer of The Shining, opened up about the discrepancies in a 2012 interview.

“It’s clear instantly there’s something foul going on. At the little hotel, everything is like Disney, all kitsch wood on the outside – but the interiors don’t make sense. Those huge corridors and ballrooms couldn’t fit inside. In fact, nothing makes sense.

“Stanley didn’t travel, so he never went to Oregon where the exteriors were done. Whenever you see actors outside, they’re in the backlot of Elstree Studios in London. The snow was made of formaldehyde and salt, while the fog was finely sprayed vegetable oil.”

Even with those discrepancies, The Shining still made a major impact on the history of horror movies and cinema overall. It made over $44 million at the U.S. box office, according to Box Office Mojo. It was ranked as the No. 2 best horror movie of all time by Rolling Stone in 2014. Last but not least, more than 35 years after its theatrical release, the film’s cultural impact even inspired a family of creative fans to build a gingerbread house replica of the Overlook Hotel from the movie.

[Image Credit: Roy Jones/Getty Images]