There was a surprising amount of disagreement around Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum and whether it’s worth visiting. Let me start by saying I loved it and thought it was worth every penny, but I don’t think it’s for everyone, and a lot of the complaints could be true. Here’s some of what I heard, and my experience.
“They play frequencies to make you feel sick”
There are a lot of reports of people feeling nauseous, anxious, dizzy, fainting, or getting sick, and some say it’s the “fear frequency” being played throughout the house. That could be true. I didn’t feel anything, but that might just be because nothing holds a candle to my own constant, overwhelming anxiety.
“It’s just junk bought at garage sales”
This could absolutely be true, but the production value (of which there are zero pictures, since you can only take photos and videos in the lobby) was incredible. The way everything was displayed and how the rooms were themed felt so thoughtful. Certain places were recreated down to the dirt (or so the story goes), and you’re kind of transported there.
“It glorifies serial killers”
There were two rooms that told stories about serial killers or displayed family photos, paintings, clothing they wore, etc. I didn’t feel like it was glorifying the act or the person, but it’s definitely a big collection of serial killer material, including items that were present at murders, which is disturbing. I’m more interested in the paranormal side of things, but as a watcher of true crime documentaries, I do feel that “how is it possible for another human to do something so horrendous” reaction. So I still found these rooms interesting in that horrifying way.
“It’s too long”
It is long, and you’re standing almost the entire time. My tour lasted just over two hours. If you aren’t interested in this sort of thing, you’ll probably fall into this category and may want to reconsider. But if you are into it, I really feel like I got my money’s worth. It’s shocking how many rooms are in this house.
“It’s a scam”
While I’ve never experienced a ghost, I really want to. With that said, since I’ve never experienced one, I’m definitely a skeptic, you know, evidence and all that. But as someone who loves horror movies and the idea of the paranormal, even if it’s all made up, it’s like hearing 50 different horror stories. I didn’t have any experiences that would prove it isn’t a scam, but I still really enjoyed it.
“I don’t like Zak Bagans”
That’s fair. I still haven’t seen any of his shows and only knew his name from the museum, but if he’s not your cup of tea, I totally get not supporting his business. The museum itself has a few clips from his show and some pre-recorded blurbs from him, so it’s not a Zak-free experience, but 93% of it is.
Final Thoughts
I would absolutely go again. I do a lot of spooky stuff, and this ranks in my top ten. If you’re genuinely into it, I’d just do it and not worry too much about the naysayers. If you’re on the fence, though, I might think twice.