Witch’s Dungeon Celebrates 40 Years!

By Chris Kullstroem

Attention all science fiction and horror movie buffs out there: there are some historic events going on this October that you won’t want to miss! The Witch’s Dungeon, a classic movie museum located in Bristol, CT, is celebrating its 40th year of bringing chills to science fiction lovers and horror movie fanatics from around the globe.

The Witch’s Dungeon is a small, privately-owned museum that was started by Cortlandt Hull, a professional make-up artist and illustrator, back in 1966. On his own property, Hull constructed what would resemble an old witch’s house to be found deep in the woods in a dark fairy tale. Inside, visitors are greeted by not only a witch, but several classic movie characters that have become American icons.

Visitors to the dungeon embark on an automated tour of life-sized sculpted replicas of movie characters posed in their most infamous scenes. Elaborately detailed displays include Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Abominable Dr. Phibes and many more. Zenobia the Witch. the museum’s icon, is a character who was specially made for the Witch’s Dungeon by Hull himself. Zenobia is one of the first to greet visitors as she stirs her potion in a bubbling cauldron.

The replicas are each created from live casts of the character’s head from each film. They are then artistically painted, eyes are set in place and human hair is attached. Many of the replicas wear the original costumes used in the big screen, and various props from the films are used in each display. There are also special voice tracks recorded for each character’s scene to get the full effect of being right there in the movie. Voice talents include those of Vincent Price, June Foray, Mark Hamill and John Agar.

What makes the Witch’s Dungeon stand out against other Halloween attractions is the striking detail of the characters and the thrilling experience they provoke. The pathway through the dungeon is set up so that visitors are only inches away from each movie character, who speaks as loud and clear as the person standing next to them.

To celebrate the Witch’s Dungeon’s 40 year anniversary, a documentary DVD is being released for the first time, recounting the history behind the classic horror museum. A special showing of the documentary will also be held at Showcase Cinemas in Southington, CT on Thursday, October 12th for a $5 donation.

Nights of operation for the Witch’s Dungeon are October 6-8, 13-15, 20-22 and 28-31 from 7-10pm. The fee is a $1 donation. The Witch’s Dungeon is located at 90 Battle Street in Bristol, CT. For more information, check out www.preservehollywood.org.