On Hollywood Boulevard, among the flashing lights and crowds, lies a small storefront that holds more than meets the eye. Hiding in plain sight, the Medieval Torture Museum takes guests through a look at the macabre history of torment. Bizarre, dark, and sometimes horrifying, the Museum is worth a pit stop for visitors and locals alike.
Masks, Dungeons, and Mannequins Oh My!
The moment guests walk through the shopfront, the journey has begun. With metal masks hanging from the ceiling and skulls littering the walls, the Museum makes short work of letting visitors know what they’re in for. Soon guests will be escorted down a set of eerie stairs to the thematically appropriate museum basement where the exhibit begins to unfold. Walking through the catacombs, the sounds of groans, creaks, and dripping water fill the rooms, as scenes of silicon mannequins in various torture contraptions take full form.
To offer readers an idea of what they may be in for, the Medieval Torture Museum showcases a wide variety of displays. Some lighter vignettes (relative to others) include depictions of twisted figures in metal cages, lying down on torture devices, or tied to stakes. Closer to the macabre, wounds from these methods are present for viewing.
For the caring few, these exhibits may initiate feelings of woe while for others with darker traits are encouraged to pull levers, wind wheels, and open crates with dismembered limbs inside.
Photos Courtesy of Medieval Torture Museum
This sinister interactive experience extends, of course, to photo opportunities, as out of towners and townsfolk alike have the chance to take photos in cages, guillotines, gallows, or even with the metal masks that hang at the entrance to the attraction itself.
Further immersion allows visitors to download the Museum’s app which hosts an audio guide filled with gruesome details on the various torture methods depicted throughout the space. Visitors looking for even more to do can take part in a digital ghost hunt on the app around the Torture Museum’s dungeonous underground.
The Macabre Emerges in Hollywood
One of Hollywood’s creepier offerings, The Medieval Torture Museum, has emerged with the trend of “Dark Tourism”. (A form of tourism centering around the more glib elements of society).
Photos Courtesy of Medieval Torture Museum
One of the few spaces on the Walk of Fame that separates itself from Hollywood’s iconography, the Medieval Torture Museum doubles down on its promise of the macabre. Visitors will find themselves emerging with an extensive knowledge of torture techniques unavailable before on the Boulevard.
The Medieval Torture Museum is located at 6757 Hollywood Blvd, and is open from 11am – 9pm Monday through Thursday, with weekend hours of 11am to 11pm Friday through Saturday, Sunday the museum wraps up at 10pm. Tickets sit around $30 a piece, while packages with add-ons like Big Bus tours or The Hollywood Ghost Walk starting at $35.00 and up. The Museum is not recommended for those under the age of 18 without an adult.
medievaltorturemuseum.com
