The paper focuses on the origins of the Gothic genre and its evolution into the modern Gothic that is created by Stephen King. King uses the classic gothic elements and combines them with contemporary events in order to reformulate the genre and create a modernized version of Gothic. The motif of the haunted house, alongside its mysteries, represents the secrets of the protagonist’s mind and the psyche that is beyond rational control. The ancient prophecy is delivered through a scrapbook which forms a connection between the present and the past. The Gothic villain battles his inner demons throughout the entire novel – his alcoholism, his temper, and the remembrance of his abusive, alcoholic father and the classic Gothic heroine is helpless and obedient at first but King turns her into a modernized Gothic heroine who gradually develops into a mature woman who is able to fight for survival. A particular focus is given to the forbidden power/visions and the Gothic double which stimulate and intensify the horror and the macabre. The conclusions drawn from the detailed analysis strongly suggest the intensity of the influence of the Gothic elements that King installed in the novel. The horror in the novel does not come from the monsters that are a part of the hotel, but from the monsters that people can become under just the right influence of the surroundings.