Haunted houses are a staple of the Halloween season. However, some people would rather avoid the jumpscares and just enjoy the aesthetic of the holiday. These people have lucked out with the Museum of Monsters in Tivoli Village. 

Just minutes away from Palo Verde High School, the Museum of Monsters is an interactive photo-op experience filled with monsters from all your favorite TV shows and movies. 

It’s previously been at the Los Angeles County Fair and the Arizona State fair in 2018 and 2019. It returned this year, after taking 2020 off due to the pandemic, in Las Vegas for the first time.

A check-in table sits outside of the museum storefront, where you confirm your ticket. Then you are led into a small introduction room and presented with a guidelines video for the experience. You may be in the museum with up to 24 other people, since the visitor limit per 30-minute ticket is 25 people.

Afterwards, you are led through a maze-like collection of rooms and corridors filled with classic, retro, and modern monsters. Singular monsters or groups of ghouls are separated into themed rooms with special props, lighting, and backdrops. Spooky instrumental music plays as you navigate the horrifying halls.

“When you’re going through a traditional haunted house experience, you don’t have the ability to take photos. You can’t really stop and take a picture with an actor. That’s just not how they’re designed,” said Museum of Monsters producer Dirk Hagen. 

There are over two dozen individual photo op spots in the museum, and there’s hundreds of possible photos to be taken. 

Thanks to the wonderful design of each area, every photo comes out beautiful and frightening.

“This is an opportunity now to kinda take your time, self-guided through, take a picture with Freddy, take a picture with Jason, take a picture with Pennywise, and share it with your friends,” said Hagen.

Plus, you can see the amount of detail that was put into each monster. Their glossy, realistic eyes seem to follow you. Gorey and clean figures alike are bone-chillingly lifelike. Each room gets more horrifying than the last.

“Some of the magic in this is really just simple stuff, you just gotta be creative and experiment. And a lot of the times, we just experiment,” said Hagen. 

The ticket price is $20, but for the museum’s professionalism and unique horror experience, it’s definitely worth it. The ticket price also includes a free goodie bag at the end of the experience filled with candy and Museum of Monsters memorabilia.

“We just want people to understand that it’s an interactive, self-guided photo opportunity pop-up, as opposed to a haunted house. So there’s no actors in there, they’re not gonna jump out and scare you,” said Hagen. 

If you’re looking for a fun Halloween activity to do yourself or with a group of friends, but are dreading the jumpscares and terror, I fully recommend the Museum of Monsters for all your photo and fright needs.

Hagen said, “The main thing we want to get across [is] that we’re not a haunted house… we’re just a fun, creepy, scary experience celebrating monsters.”

The museum is open from 6PM-10:30PM Monday through Friday, 11AM-10:30PM on Saturday, and 11AM-9:30PM on Sunday. Book your tickets on museumofmonsters.com.