The Shining - Tragic History of the Overlook Hotel
Ullman:
I don't suppose they told you anything in Denver about the tragedy we had up here during the winter of 1970?
Jack:
I don't believe they did.
Ullman:
Well, my predecessor in this job hired a man named Charles Grady as the winter caretaker. And he came up here with his wife and two little girls — I think they were about eight and ten — and he had a good employment record, good references, and from what I've been told he seemed like a completely normal individual. But at some point during the winter, he must have suffered some kind of complete mental breakdown. He ran amok and he killed his family with an axe. Stacked them neatly in one of the rooms in the West Wing, and then he put both barrels of a shotgun in his mouth. Police thought it was what the old-timers used to call cabin fever; a kind of claustrophobic reaction that can occur when people are shut in together over long periods of time.
Jack:
Well, that is quite a story.
Ullman: [chuckling]
Yeah, yeah it is. Oh, it's still hard for me to believe it actually happened here, but it did. So I think you can appreciate why I wanted to tell you about it.
Jack:
I certainly can, and I also understand why your people in Denver left it for you to tell me.
Ullman:
Well obviously some people can be put off by staying alone in a place where something like that actually happened.
Jack:
Well you can rest assured, Mr. Ullman, that's not going to happen with me. And as far as my wife is concerned, I'm sure she'll be absolutely fascinated when l tell her. She's a confirmed ghost story and horror film addict.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Shining - Hotel Maintenance and Winter Challenges Explained
Ullman:
When the place was built in 1907, there was very little interest in winter sports. And this site was chosen for its seclusion and scenic beauty.
Jack: [laughs]
Well, it's certainly got plenty of that.
Ullman:
The winters can be fantastically cruel. And the basic idea is to cope with the very costly damage and depreciation which can occur. And this consists mainly of running the boiler, heating different parts of the hotel on a daily, rotating basis, repair damage as it occurs, and doing repairs so that the elements can't get a foothold.
Jack:
Well, that sounds fine to me.
Ullman:
Physically, it's not a very demanding job. The only thing that can get a bit trying up here during the winter is the tremendous sense of isolation.
Jack:
Well, that just happens to be exactly what I'm looking for. I'm outlining a new writing project and, uh, five months of peace is just what I need.
Ullman:
That's very good, Jack. Because for some people, solitude and isolation can, in itself, become a problem.
Jack:
Not for me.
Ullman:
How about your wife and son? How do you think they'll take to it?
Jack:
They'll love it.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.