wax museum monster madness

[Monolith]

Around 1974 my parents took me and my little sister to Niagara Falls, which was fun, but the highlight of the trip at least for me was discovering the House of Frankenstein wax museum.

The museum had fifty scenes of horror.Interspersed with fictional monsters like the Wolfman and the Creature were some real life horror scenes like the Tate-Manson murders and Jack the ripper.Stuff that you probably would never see in todays politically correct world.

The museum at Lake George New York is still there but I think the one I went to at Niagara Falls is gone.

Here are two pamphlets I picked up circa 1974.The one on the left has a mask to cut out and wear.

[Monolith]

Here's the other side of the mask pamphlet.

[Monolith]

The pamphlet on the left has some black and white photo's inside of some of the wax statues. Here's the Phantom of the Opera.

[Monolith]

Here's Dracula.

[Monolith]

This was the museum host.

[Monolith]

This is the back page of the booklet. You can see the Mummy and on the lower right is actually their Metaluna  Mutant.There were also other horror scenes not pictured like medieval torture chamber,the forgotten prisoner (which if I remember correctly looked like the Aurora model of the same name),the electric chair,the Hunchback of Notre Dame,the crypt,Hell,room of rats,Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,  Frankenstein, a medieval torture chamber , a barrel drowning,and Bonnie and Clyde.

[BaronLatos35]

We went there as well in the late 70's. Man, I wish I still had the pamphlets and anything else!

I remember my mother having a pic of my brother and I standing next to a Frank. Thanks for posting the memories.

[Monolith]

Also, on that same trip was another museum that had a giant King Kong, which of course I HAD to see.
Here's the flyer that I picked up at the time.

[mike c]

SO cool! Wouldn't it be nice to have video of that incredible place? Beautiful images, thanks for posting them, Monolith.

[Monolith]

Baron Latos- Yes, wasn't it great!

Anyone else go there or to another wax museum with monsters in it?

Here's one more booklet I came across while digging through a box of old stuff. It's from Stars Hall of Fame in
Orlando which I went to in the '70's.This is the monster page but they mostly had non monster movie stars.

[Monolith]

Mike C , I would love to have a video or some of the wax figures! I'm glad I at least have the booklets and the memories anyway.I remember as a kid I was in wax museum monster heaven!

[mike c]

Is this a continuation of the '70s H of F Wax Museum?:

http://www.frankensteinwaxmuseum.com/index.html

Descriptions from guests seem to indicate its 'vintage' feel and history...

[Monolith]

That link is for the one in New York. I've never been to that one so I don't know if it had or has the same scenes as the one at Niagara Falls, Ontario that I went to in 1974.I kind of doubt that it has any of the scenes that were based on real life like the Tate-Manson murders and the torture scenes.

I found a video on youtube of someone recently walking through  the New York museum but it's very disappointing;mostly darkness and little or no monsters visible.

I couldn't find any info on the one in Canada that I went to, I think it's probably long gone.

[Monolith]

I forgot to post the picture of Frankenstein from the 1974 pamphlet, so here it is...

[Opera Ghost]

Man! Wish I'd saved my brochures....I visited one wax museum in Niagara Falls in Winter 1980. Would've remembered if it was called House of Frankenstein, so it had to have been another.

I've got some pix from Movieland Wax Museum, circa 1992, somewhere, and Hollywood Wax Museum circa 1985 probably in the same place.

With a two year old....there's not a lot of personal time!

OG