First Time: Museum of Death

What happens when a girl who loves reading about murders and all things creepy goes to the museum dedicated to such things? Originally in San Diego, and now located in Hollywood, the Museum of Death was established in 1995 by J.D. Healy and Catherine Shultz with the goal “to make people happy to be alive.”

On my first trip to the Museum of Death, I was giddy as could be. Ever since I first heard about it, I’d been dying to go see what exactly the museum has within its walls. The exterior looks quite small for a museum, but behind the pink bushy flowers creeping along the white walls is a hefty collection of exclusive photographs, items, and maudlin tools. To get inside, you have to enter through the red gate next to the skull mural.

Throughout the museum, you guide yourself through the maze of deathly artifacts. Each room and hall has a specific theme and name, such as the Serial Killer Archives, Suicide Hall, and the Mortician & Funeral Room. Each space is small but crammed with morbid photos of death and mortal items. According to the clerk in the front, everything in the museum is real, with the exception of an electric chair.

After you purchase your ticket, you enter the Serial Killer Archives. In the red-painted room, there are handwritten notes and artwork from famous serial killers like Ted Bundy and many artifacts from their destructive lives. The creepiest artifact I saw was John Wayne Gacy’s shoes for his Pogo the Clown outfit, the getup he used to lure his numerous young victims and a disguise he used for normalcy. The next room was the Execution Room that featured the replica electric chair, a mummified decapitated head, and photographs of beheadings. The Execution room led to the Mortician & Funeral Room, which contained embalming tools, caskets, a Victorian mourning dress and jewelry. In the background was a video of an actual autopsy, which I couldn’t bear to watch.

Photo Credit: Sarah Kelly

The Carnage Corridor was up next, followed by Suicide Hall. The Corridor held a skull and bone collection and displayed gruesome pictures of deadly scenes from murders and accidents, but what was the most unnerving was the collection of authentic Heaven’s Gate artifacts behind the glass display, including actual bunk beds used by the cult. Suicide Hall included pictures of grizzly suicides. After Suicide Hall was the California Death Room, a room dedicated to infamous killings that happened in the Golden State. The walls were covered with crime scene photos and one wall was occupied by a quilt made by the Manson Family’s female members.
The rest of the museum included the Cannibalism Niche and the Specimen Room, which included shrunken heads and taxidermy pieces. Your visit to the museum ends in the Theater of Death where you can sit, watch videos, and sign the Museum’s guestbook.

Strolling through the gore-covered walls, I was disgusted and overwhelmingly intrigued. My favorite room of the museum was the California Death Room. I was particularly drawn to the Black Dahlia display as I have always had a fascination with that unsolved case. While I have a passion for learning about murders, serial killers, and gore, I felt physically sick throughout the museum, nervous about what awaited me in the next corner. But my interest outweighed my stomach, and I went on with wide eyes. I felt queasy for hours after my visit, but I actually felt happy- glad not to have suffered the way the museum's subjects had.

I would recommend the Museum of Death to those who have a real interest in learning about the macabre and the morbid. A strong stomach is a must! This museum truly does make you happy to be alive!

Museum of Death
6031 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
$15 admission, $13 for students

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