My friend sent me this email earlier today:

On August 16 at 8:30PM, there will be an outdoor screening of the original "The Shining" on the grounds of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. How cool is that?

Preeminent horror author Stephen King wrote half of the novel "The Shining" while vacationing in room 217 of this hotel. In addition to its regular guests, this Rocky Mountain landmark hotel is said to play host to a number of supernatural visitors. The screening will take place on the grounds of the Stanley Hotel.

Screening Location: Stanley Hotel
Address: 333 Wonderview Ave Estes Park, CO Google Map
Screening Time: 8:45
This screening is free, seating is first come first serve.


I laughed and sent this along to a friend who has serious issues with this movie. Anytime "REDRUM" was said, he'd freak out. Still. All these years later. When he responded to the email I sent, it said, "I may have to leave the state the first part of August".

And this prompted me to think back to the R-rated movies I saw as a kid and to think about which ones scared me shitless. I remember vaguely one about a peanut butter factory. It wasn't R, but it sucked and scared me to hell. And another movie about a comet coming to earth and leaving little tails on the back of necks, and you'd know they were 'infected' that way. Again, no name to go with the movie, but I'm okay with that.

All of this then reminded me of my ridiculous mother, who was so sure she was going to save us from seeing these scary, horrible movies. She'd do anything to keep us from seeing anything that might be bad. I remember when Top Gun came to town. We weren't allowed to see this, although all of our friends got to go. I was so pissed. We had a lot of 'making up' to do movie-wise. I didn't see The Shining or Top Gun or anything else until well after my mom stopped controlling things.

But best of all, my mom threw down on a TV show and wouldn't let us watch it ever. I can see being worried about the language in movies or sex scenes, whatever, but what did she forbid us to see??

Doogie Howser, MD

She said (and I quote): "It is the decline of children's television".

That explains a lot about my childhood, really.