Where Was The Shining Filmed? The Real Overlook Hotel Location Explained

Stanley Kubrick took inspiration from a few real and fictional locations for his 1980 adaptation of The Shining, but he mostly filmed the Overlook Hotel in one place, far from where the movie was set. While the movie’s Colorado resort is not a real place, author Stephen King based the Overlook on the Stanley Hotel. For Kubrick’s movie, another hotel was employed as a stand-in for the exterior of the Overlook, while its interiors were based on the Ahwahnee Hotel in California’s Yosemite National Park, plus other similar establishments.

However, the filmmaker primarily shot indoor and outdoor scenes on studio stages and lots. That was mostly so the production could have easier and longer access to sets, but for Kubrick, it also meant he could better manipulate the layout of the Overlook, disorienting the audience. The mix of real and constructed locations for The Shining and the patchwork of influences on the Overlook adds to the disconnectedness of the spaces and places in the movie. The fact that one alleged shooting location has also been challenged over the years contributes to the perplexity of The Shining.