#227 – Trapped in the Overlook hotel. I woke up screaming

I will always remember my scariest and most vivid dream. Even if I never live to be normal I don’t think I’ll shake the sensation and fear I had from my nightmare. I’m getting ahead of myself here let’s go back to the beginning of this before the point where I wake up screaming in the middle of the night and terrify my girlfriend to death.

During the first lockdown back in 2020 after the initial shock and the constant testing,scrubs,masks and equipment I had to wear at work I wanted to escape from the world. I watched funny shows, drama’s, classics and new films too but what kept drawing me back over and over and over again was the nineteen eighty classic the shining. Maybe it was the acting or the direction or the story or music that grabbed me but I think it was the sense of isolation and loneliness that grabbed a hold of me. We couldn’t leave our homes for much back then a couple years ago and for some reason I found comfort in watching a film where a family is secluded in the wilderness in an empty hotel with many secrets and a great evil hidden within it’s walls.

I watched this film during 2020 about eight or ten times as well as the soundtrack and ASMR videos of the score on YouTube to help me sleep. This I fear may have been my fatal error leading me to my late night terror induced screaming. Just thinking and writing now makes me get chills a little. The shining was in my head and wouldn’t get out, not that I was in a hurry to push it away. If anything I brought this whole experience upon myself anyway here’s what my dream was.

The horror begins

My eyes open and I’m standing in the maze from the Overlook hotel. I’m all alone and hear or see nobody near me. I begin to walk and find my way out towards the hotel’s main door. It’s open a tiny bit and I walk over to investigate and get out of the cold. As I arrive at the door I can hear music playing in the distance. I move slowly past the entrance and now I’m in the Colorado lounge. The vast open space, the tapestry’s on the walls it’s all there everything from the film. I can hear the music becoming increasingly louder.. I walk through the lounge towards Jack’s typewriter and it’s as it time itself has slowed entirely. I approach it slowly and I read the words on the page

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull bot“

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

I look at the words in horror before I continue my voyage through the Overlook. I can still hear the music that goddamn music is still playing, it’s still as distant as ever no matter what direction I move in. It’s midnight, the stars and you from the film. It won’t stop, it won’t get louder, it won’t get closer it simply remains.

I walk through the hotel still. I pass Jack’s picture, I pass through the old corridors and the hallways while hearing the song and the howl of the cold breeze outside as it echoes through the empty hotel. By this point I feel as if I’ve been walking for hours and I’ve seen nobody all I feel is the overwhelming fear that’s surrounding me but I feel as if I’ve not been alone the entire time.

I wander through the goldroom but I don’t see partygoers, I don’t see Jack and I don’t even see Lloyd the bartender all I find is myself standing in an empty ballroom with far off music in the distance that I can’t find. I continue to walk through the hotel, I go up the stairs where Wendy attacked Jack and move through the halls yet again. As I carry on and March through I hear the music get slightly louder, then louder now I hear sharp keys and off key tunes increase in volume. The music rises and rises I’m scared now but I can’t stop myself from moving closer and closer to the sounds. Each corner I turn my heart sinks as I expect to see the Grady twins standing there waiting for me. I turn the corner and another and another yet I see nothing, the suspense is killing me now.

I carry on walking and Ilook to the doors as I pass, 232,233,234 the sounds get loud it’s as if I’m walking on a razors edge. The music builds now and builds it gets louder and louder as I carry on. The sounds, the music,the whaling and screaming are overwhelming me now. Room 235,236 it continues and I hear whispers. I hear screams faintly behind me, I hear nails on a chalkboard, I hear drums. Loud drums bang and overpower and violin’s screech and almost deafen me.

I turn to my right and I look at the door. I see room 237 right before me as I stand looking. The sounds are everywhere now it’s too late to leave. I look down at the handle and see the key is in the door all I have to do is turn the key. I don’t want to but I see my hand move to turn the key. Inside I’m screaming to run and don’t go in but it feels like I’m just along for the ride this time and not driving. My hand extends for the key and I grip onto it before I turn it to enter the room.

I slowly turn the key and open the door, the noises stop now, It’s silent.

I look inside the room to see the green and purple carpet. I know where I am now, I’ve been here before I’ve seen this before and I’m really scared now. I’m slowly moving towards the bathroom door that’s just slightly open. The music crescendo’s as I reach the door and open it. As the door swings open I see a bath at the end of the green bathroom I see a tub. This bathtub has a shower curtain pulled halfway across it but I can see a figure behind the curtain.

I stare blankly and I’m struck with fear I’m stranded on my feet and I can’t move. The figure begins to move and a hand slowly reaches for the edge of the curtain to pull it back. The curtain is slowly pulled back and I can’t do a thing about it. As the figure reveals itself I can see that it’s a naked woman in the bathtub. The woman has her dark hair covering her face as she rises out of the water. All I can do is watch. The figure is now standing and turns to look at me

Eva?

That’s what I thought, Eva what the hell is happening?

Why is my girlfriend here?

What’s going on?

She slowly gets out of the bath and approaches me. I stare as she gets closer and closer I finally begin to feel like I’m safe. She looks at me with her beautiful eyes and we look at each other. As we look at each other and speaking no words she reaches her right hand behind my head and her left hand on my side. We both share a kiss and I close my eyes. We share a beautiful kiss and as I open my eyes I look to the bathroom mirror behind her and see sagging flesh and a horribly disfigured figure with burn marks and awful scars everywhere. Her flesh hangs from her bones as she starts to cackle.

This was when I sat up in my bed in the middle of the night just screaming in horror. Eva jolts awake beside me being extremely concerned at what the fuck is happening at 2am. I sit there and I breathe and try to make sense if it all. I’m shaking and I get goosebumps at the fear. After I settle down a little she goes back to sleep and I do too (eventually). I’ve never had a dream so vivid and memorable so real in the moment. Even as I type it out now I’m giving myself goosebumps because it feels more like a memory than a bad dream. It felt so vivid and tangible, I felt as if I really was going to be trapped in there forever and ever and ever.