The Oscars celebrates the achievements in film from the previous year, yet viewers of the 90th Academy Awards might have caught a commercial that stood out focusing on an almost 40-year-old film, as a promo appeared for the “newly renovated Overlook Hotel,” which horror fans would recognize from The Shining. Check out the promo below, which is packed with references to the Stephen King story.
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Welcome to the Overlook Hotel like you’ve never seen it. Go inside at https://t.co/4yOgqWKsA3 #AcademyMuseum pic.twitter.com/nEh7oHaD4x
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 5, 2018
Over a variety of shots from the famous hotel, a voiceover explains, “If you’re looking for a quiet, remote family getaway, then look no further than the newly-renovated Overlook Hotel. With our famous garden maze and beautifully appointed interiors, there’s a surprise around every corner. Our staff is hard at work to make you feel welcome. The Overlook Hotel, come stay with us, forever and ever.”
The promo also features the phone number 833-888-0237, which, when called, places you on hold at the fictional hotel, with a voice on the other end that makes even more references to the story. Even the phone number itself is a reference to the film, as room 237 offered a horrifying experience for anyone who explored it.
The commercial was an advertisement for the Academy Museum, which will be opening in 2019.
“The Academy Museum will be the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies. Located on Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles, the Museum will be simultaneously immersive, experimental, educational, and entertaining,” the museum’s site describes. “More than a museum, this dynamic film center will offer unparalleled experiences and insights into movies and moviemaking.”
In the years since Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of the novel, it has become one of the most lauded horror films of all time, despite it being critically panned when it first debuted. The Academy might view the film fondly now, yet the film was completely snubbed at the Oscars when it was released. In fact, the film was instead nominated for two Razzies, which celebrate the worst films released each year.
The King novel was inspired by his brief stay at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, a notoriously haunted location. In the novel, the fateful room was actually room 217, yet with the Stanley Hotel having an actual room 217, they asked that the room number be changed for the feature film.
You can learn more by heading to the Academy Museum’s website.
Would you be willing to stay at the Overlook Hotel? Let us know in the comments!
[H/T Twitter, TheAcademy]
