Horror story comes to life as mysterious photo shocks local man

ESTES PARK, CO (KTRK) -- While visiting the hotel that inspired a well-known horror novel, a local man got a little more than he bargained for.

Houstonian Henry Yau decided to pay a visit to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado after learning that a 1974 stay at the the property inspired Stephen King to write "The Shining".

After dinner, he stopped to snap a panoramic photo of the hotel's lobby.

Yau was surprised, however, to find a mysterious, human-like figure perched at the top of the lobby's grand staircase.

He tells abc13 that he doesn't remember anybody standing on the staircase when he snapped the picture, adding that he generally avoids taking photographs of people.

"Apparently the place is haunted, but never did I imagine I would possibly capture something," Yau says.