Watch IKEA's Spooky Halloween Ad That Pays Perfect Homage to 'The Shining' 'Late night shopping may never be the same again,' the homeware retailer warns.
By Geoff Weiss
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
IKEA is getting into the Halloween spirit -- and reaching into the same bag of tricks that has turned recent promotional efforts into viral magic.
After the furniture retailer skewered Apple's high-minded television ads with this satirical sketch, IKEA is back with another spoof -- this time of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining. The eerily familiar homage follows a little boy tricycling through the dark and empty store come nighttime. Lamps flicker, billowing curtains look like ghosts and one wall is even scrawled with the word "redrug' (or "red rug").
Suddenly, the boy stops before two figures attired in identical blue dresses -- who turn out to be his parents. "Come and pay with us, Danny," they beckon, before he wakes from the seeming nightmare and heads with them towards the checkout.
Related: Publicity Stunt Du Jour: Spend the Night at IKEA Thanks to Airbnb
The spot, which already has 400,000 views on YouTube and counting, aims to promote the fact that the store is now open until 11 p.m. daily. IKEA is also hosting a contest, in which it will give 13 lucky fans $30 gift cards if they can spot various products shown within the video.
Check it out below.
Related: Here's What Happened When Three Families Spent the Night at IKEA
