Stanley Kubrick’s Grandson Recorded a Song About ‘The Shining’
Metalcore band Ice Nine Kills have a new EP called Undead & Unplugged: Live From the Overlook Hotel. As the name suggests, it was recorded at the Stanley Hotel, the Colorado lodge that famously served as the inspiration for Stephen King’s classic horror novel The Shining. When Stanley Kubrick adapted The Shining in 1980, he created his Overlook Hotel on a soundstage, with a few exterior shots of the Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, Oregon. The TV miniseries version of The Shining was actually shot at the Stanley, though, and as the legend of The Shining has grown, it has become a kind of Mecca for horror fans. (And fans of Dumb and Dumber, which was shot there, too.)
The Stanley was a particularly fitting place for Ice Nine Kills to record a live EP because their last album, The Silver Scream was comprised entirely by songs inspired by different horror movies. The tracks include “The American Nightmare,” based on A Nightmare on Elm Street, “A Grave Mistake” in homage to The Crow, and — you knew this was coming — “Enjoy your Slay” inspired by none other than The Shining.
Here’s where it gets even more surreal. The original version of “Enjoy Your Slay” from The Silver Scream features guest vocals from Sam Kubrick — the grandson of The Shining director Stanley Kubrick. So you have Stanley Kubrick’s grandson singing on a song inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Take a listen:
Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas told Loudwire that the band had befriended Kubrick (Sam, not Stanley) when he was touring the U.K. with his band Shields. When they decided to do a song about The Shining, Charnas says he thought “Hey, we gotta ask Sam to be a part of this. He's got a great voice, and just that sort of connection to the original story, we would be remiss if we didn't try to include that."
The rest is obscure horror movie trivia. (If you’re interested, here’s a video of Sam Kubrick’s former band — he’s the one playing the guitar with the American flag strap):
So there you have it. The only way this story could get better would be if someone turns “Enjoy Your Slay” into a movie, which Ice Nine Kills can then turn into a new song, creating a true ouroboros of musical homage.
Gallery — The Best Horror Movie Posters in History: