Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Wicked History: HH Holmes, America's First Serial Killer

Time for another installment in the Wicked History series. This time, I've chosen a subject near and dear to my blackened little heart: HH Holmes, the First American Serial Killer. I've found this excellent documentary that someone uploaded to YouTube which I feel does a pretty good job of summing up Holmes' life and murderous exploits. If your looking for something a little more in-depth, I'd suggest the book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (also a good read if your fan of Victorian arcana).
Now that you've watched the documentary, I'd like to throw in my two cents about Dr. Holmes: I think this guy would make an excellent theme for a haunted house. Think about: the hotel/murder factory he built lends itself so well to a haunted attraction enviroment; creepy decaying Victorian sets, hidden passageways/trap doors, screaming victims, Holmes himself popping up around corners, and finally, a trip down into a dank cellar full of gory animatronics and dissections in progress, along with the furnace he used to incernerate corpses. How bad-ass would that be? Besides, if Jack the Ripper has become fair game for a haunt theme, then I think Holmes could be used in the same way. Food for thought.

2 comments:

  1. Of course it would! That guy was what nightmares are made of, a creep in the truest sense of the word. He didn't discriminate against who he killed either, any gender, any age, he wants to kill you, peace out, lol!

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  2. Oh yeah, He could totally have his own haunt theme. And you hit on all the scares/ scenes it could have. And since he's American, the scare actors wouldn't have to try and pull off awful faux British accents. "Ello dare!"

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