Welcome to Our Darkest Fears, the home for my dark fiction and all things that go bump in the night. On a recent trip to Seattle, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Pop Culture. MOPC is one of the best museums I’ve toured. The museum features exhibits from sci-fi, fantasy, and music. Video games, comic books, and movies also make up the impressive list of props and artifacts to check out. One exhibit caught my eye when we researched MOPC, and it was that they had an exhibit dedicated to horror cinema.

Once I read about the exhibit, I couldn’t resist a visit. So, sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy some pictures and commentary from this amazingly frightful exhibit.

The “Scared to Death” exhibit begins with a descent down twisting stairs surrounded by photos of people screaming. The ceiling lights, a snake of Hannibal Lecter masks, throw eerie shadows on the stairs and walls. The first thing that greets you in the exhibit room is multiple dead bodies hanging upside down and shrouded in bloody burlap bags. The entrance sets a gory mood that carries over into the entire exhibit.

The rest of the exhibit is a collection of movie props that would haunt a normal person’s dreams, but made me a happy boy. There were artifacts such as the Alien costume from Alien, Jason’s outfit from Friday the 13th: Part 4, and Michael Myers from Halloween H2O.

The most impressive parts of the prop collection are Jack Nicholson’s axe from The Shining, Tony Todd’s Hook from Candyman, Ethan Hawke’s masks from The Black Phone, and a Critter alien from Critters. Other highlights include a camera and stick figure from The Blair Witch Project, a stained-glass window display of Dracula legends, and a ball from Phantasm.

I could’ve spent hours soaking up the exhibit’s atmosphere. Within the dark maze of horror, there are photo op areas, interactive films, and other activities. The killer I came closest to being was Jason. I think the fear of drowning is what gave me the hockey-masked murderer. After spending some time in the exhibit, I highly recommend it to anyone who even has a passing love of the horror genre. If you are in Seattle for a day or two, visit MOPC. Within a few minutes’ walk of the Space Needle and Chihuly Museum, you can do all three in a single day. Admission can be pricey at around $33 or more per ticket, but you can save a little cash if you purchase a city multi-pass. I will say MOPC is worth every penny of the full price. I will have a complete museum overview at the Brent’s Crossroads website later, and you can visit the museum site to plan a visit or check out what they offer.

I’m off to prepare for my panel appearances and book sales at Dragon Con in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend, so I’ll leave you with a few more pictures to stalk you in your nightmares. Goodbye, and sleep tight!

Brent