Dad Uses His Identical Twin Daughters to Scare People in Hotels

the shining prank twins martin hughes hotel scary funny

Raising twins is undoubtedly twice the work, but, as one father has learned, it's also double the fun. Martin Hughes, a dad from England, has an identical set of 4-year-old twin girls named Poppy and Isabella. During a recent trip to London, he decided to play a prank on his fellow hotel guests inspired by the Grady twins, an iconic, identical duo from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

The horrifying twins are notoriously known for their coordinated blue dresses, lifeless expressions, and monotonous, in-sync speech. To capture the essence of the frightening young girls, Hughes dressed little Poppy and Isabella in matching dresses. Afterwards, just like in the film, he instructed them to hold hands in the hallway. With their not-so-serious expressions and inevitably cute demeanors, the adorable little girls are clearly not nearly as frightening as the Grady twins. However, they still managed to startle some unsuspecting lodgers. “They’re too young to leave there to spook people directly,” Hughes told Buzzfeed, “but when we’ve had them do the pose then stood back and someone’s turned the corner they’ve gasped and gone a little green.”

Though this is the first time Hughes has prompted his daughters to reenact the scary scene, it has been in the making for years. “As soon as we found out we were having identical twins I thought The Shining,” he said. “As they’ve gotten older and we can travel and stay in hotels, it was a given that I’d get them to stand holding hands in the hallway for a joke.” Now, Hughes is looking forward to refining the prank as the twins grow up, and already can't wait for future Halloweens!

This is Poppy and Isabella, an adorable set of twins from England.

the shining prank twins martin hughes hotel scary funny

And this is the Grady twins, a horrifying pair from The Shining.

the shining prank twins martin hughes hotel scary funny

Photo credit: Warner Brothers

During a recent trip to London, the fun-loving father of Poppy and Isabella decided to have a bit of fun and reenact the iconic scene.

the shining prank twins martin hughes hotel scary funny

Spooky! (And adorable.)

h/t: [Buzzfeed]

All images via Martin Hughes unless otherwise stated.

Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. An art historian living in Paris, Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University. When she’s not writing, you can find Kelly wandering around Paris, whether she’s leading a tour (as a guide, she has been interviewed by BBC World News America and France 24) or simply taking a stroll with her husband and two tiny daughters.
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