Family Builds Spookily Detailed Gingerbread House Replica of "The Shining" Hotel

Every year, twin brothers Aaron and Austin Keeling, along with their family, build a gingerbread house. This season, they went above and beyond your average candy home, creating an edible set that's as terrifying as it is impressive. The Keeling clan reimagined the famous Overlook Hotel from the classic horror film, The Shining.

Who knew gingerbread could be so scary? Using the spicy cookie, icing, fondant, candy, and Rice Krispy treats, the family depicted a number of the movie's unforgettable moments. This includes some iconic characters, like the spooky twin girls as they stand in the building's hallway, and the skeletons from Wendy's vision of a New Year's Eve “party.” Most notably, however, the Keelings included the chilling sight of the hotel elevator as it spills with blood. To recreate the splashing effect, they melted and hand-formed Jolly Ranchers, mimicking the crimson fluid gushing out of the elevator's open doors.

The Keeling's painstaking attention to detail is evident both inside and out–even down to the hedge maze outside of the hotel. They've had time to perfect these incredible techniques–this is a 10-year-long tradition in their family–and they've certainly set the bar high for next year's creation!

Aaron Keeling: Twitter
Austin Keeling: IMDB

via [Reddit, Laughing Squid]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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