Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery

Count Orlok’s is a very small museum, but horror fans can spend a lot more time than the visitors just there for a spook. The wax figures do not move, but anytime I visit I am always on edge because they are so realistic. Every wax figure is incredible, and the horror movie facts are awesome. If you are a die hard horror fan, this place is worth a visit. It’s a cheap thrill ($ 8), and one of my favorite spots in Salem.

visited during summer and was very pleased by this exhibition. if you are a horror movie fan you will like this! worth the money!

Great wax museum if you are into horror films. My only regret is that it was not bigger. The figures are all very well done and the lighting surrounding them is perfect! The owner is very friendly and knowledgeable about horror films. Although photography is usually not permitted, I arrived as soon as they opened and was allowed to use my camera provided I did not use a flash or a tripod. I cannot wait to visit here again! This is the best attraction in Salem!

This is a pretty cool little museum. We came here as part of our Salem Halloween adventures because there was a horror actor making an appearance, and meeting him was free if you bought admission/​went through the museum. At $ 8 or whatever it is a ticket, it was totally worth it.
It’s not very big, but there’s a lot of stuff in there, and what some people seem to be missing out on is that there is a lot of INFORMATION in there. If you just walk and look at things, it’s only going to take you five minutes. But if you are actually interested in horror movies and take the time to read the plaques and displays, it’s pretty interesting.
I’m not a huge horror fan (I know, I know), but I enjoyed myself and I liked seeing the props and stuff that they have on display. It was worth the trip.
As other reviews have mentioned, there is a strict no photos allowed policy. Not a complaint, just be warned. I don’t know that I’d be back again, but it’s worth checking out if you’re in the area and enjoy horror films or cinema history.

Super cool exhibits, a must stop if you love horror films newer and old. I have been to a lot of wax museums/​prop museums in the past and you can always tell cheap, slap together quality figures. Not so here, there were life sized reproductions, and in some cases, the actual props used in Horror/​Sci Fi/​Fantasy films.
The only sad part is that they don’t allow photography which they are very strict about. However, I completely understand this because once you have been around people enough, especially in this setting, you will find that they can be very disrespectful. This is a museum, and just like another other museum, you cannot touch anything on display. The only real sad part is that I wish there was more! The price was definitely worth it ($ 8 I think). Really take your time and read every plaque and enjoy!

I really liked Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery. My family and I are huge horror movie fans, and it was fun to see all the creepy life size wax figures of the main characters, and to read up on everything — especially movies I have yet to see. After leaving this place, I have added many old horror movies to my list that I haven’t gotten to see yet. It is a self guided walking tour, and will last longer than 10 minutes if you read the descriptions for all the movies. Very cool!

Fun wax museum. Wish we could have taken photos. There were some real cool shots I would love to have had. I don’t understand why you can’t take photos! It would make it more attractive to people to have photos with some of the favorites. Too bad, most others let you. Still a worthy visit.

$ 8 for a 5 minute walk in what could have been at one point a studio apartment. The exhibits weren’t that great. Pictures are not allowed (you can definitely sneak a few but beware, there’s cameras and they r watching — needless to say, we got kicked out 4 minutes and 50 seconds before we were to reach the exit door) lol. Now THAT moment was the best part of the admission price! Save your money!

Good way to spend a spare 15mins in Salem! Self guided walk through exhibit for any horror/​Halloween movie buff.

I thought it was a really cool exhibit!

This place is very interesting if you’re into horror films. To get the full experience, you have to take your time, appreciate the craft, and read the labels!!! It’s very important to read the labels to get your money’s worth because it helps you appreciate and understand what you are seeing. I honestly enjoyed walking though and checking out the very terrifying wax figures. Luckily my group of 4 was completely alone in the gallery so we took our time and had a lot of fun walking around. We all love horror films so seeing all the characters so life-​like was a bit unnerving. Kind of wish I went around Halloween time! Yes, it’s short and yes, the horror films are older. But, it’s totally worth the $ 8 adult ticket. For that amount, you can’t expect too much. Personally, I think it’s better suited for adults! Overall a fun time.

We stopped in to Count Orlok’s and enjoyed it very much. A must see gallery of horror films characters ranging from old school dracula, werewolf, all the way through Jack Nicholson from The Shining, to Alien and Linda Blair from the Exorcist.
This is not a «haunted house» it is more of a spooky wax museum of horror films with informational plaques at each display. Very well done.
Front desk person was very helpful. Tickets are reasonably priced and there is off street free parking for the gallery.
Would highly recommend it.

The first time we did Halloween in Salem (2009) everything was magical. We arrived days early before the crowds and I had bought tickets in advance for almost everything, including Count Orlok. I was impressed with the quality of display of monsters they have. It is a fun trip through, and not expensive. We had package tickets this time, as well, but I don’t think it was over $ 10 to get in.
We went again this Halloween, we did the haunted tour again, as well. It was different tour. It goes fast, as they are pulling you through. So, I can’t stress enough to go through first without the lights out so you can enjoy the displays and read the plaques. It is full of life size monsters from Frankenstein to beetle juice. Then go back for the haunted version. There are tickets that include both admissions.
A tip I would strongly recommend, as this applied both trips, line up EARLY. We walked away this time for a few minutes, nobody was there and it was about 15 minutes before they let people in. We ended up in line for nearly an hour. That is how fast it fills up.
Salem has about 100,000 people come in to party for Halloween, so all the attractions fill up fast on the actual date of Halloween.

A must see for any horror film fan. Don’t waste your time reading my review — just go on in!
You can see all types of horror icons and monsters; along with signed autographs from various actors, actresses and directors of horror films. The figures are life size and ultra-​realistic. Very fun to see. Take your time to read about the films and such at each display and it will make the experience even better. Some of the figures were so realistic that you sit there for a moment and wait for them to blink or move. It feels like someone is playing a prank on you and that they’re going to jump out and scare you. I think the lighting also plays a part in this — awesomely creepy.
I don’t know what this «haunted house» business is. I’m reviewing the museum. And the museum is totally worth it. If you’re just walking through and not reading the info at each display, it will be a quick walk through. If you read everything, it will take longer and you’re likely to walk away learning something.

We are from California visited Salem beginning of October. We were looking for spooky fun for our trip. Honestly Count Orlocks was one of my absolute favorite stops on this trip. As soon as you walk in, the architecture of the inside and the music and vibes are the perfect setting for a creepy spooky experience. The self walk through tour is only about 15mins long but for $ 8 you can’t beat it! Great realistic looking figures that will bring you back to your childhood and evoke memories of all sorts. My favorite part was «the shining» scene. Definitely recommend!

It was very unclear whether the museum or haunted house version was open, but I came here on a Saturday afternoon with some friends and we were fine with either. Nobody actually ever told us which thing was happening, they just kind of let us wait in line for about forty minutes. We had no idea what was going on, but whatever, SALEM, HALLOWEEN! Spooky! Rad! Nothing matters!
Once we finally got in, it was pretty obvious we were doing the haunted house. Our expectations weren’t high or anything, but oh my god. It’s a disaster.
We walked in, and they started setting up a «yes this woman was OBSESSED with the museum and she DIED for it here’s a spooky gramophone also thunder noises» type plot, but then seemed to forget about it for everything from the monsters in that room to the rest of the house. There was lots of stuff popping out, startle response stuff. It was about a minute long. For real. Room one, room two, goodbye. Exit stage left.
I gave it two stars anyway because I’m going to think about this for a while, and the monsters were helpful. We got lost, and a monster (spookily) told us to take a left. The monster was wrong and we had to go through twice because the way out was actually on the right, but thanks spooky zombie. You did your best and I appreciate the effort.
short version: the haunted house was not worth $ 9, monsters were polite when we got for real lost somehow, I wish we had been able to see the museum instead because I’m not even sure why the haunted house exists.

Must see! A stunning assemblage of horror/​sci-​fi movie themed show pieces set in a fantastic and artful environment (the movie set quality decoration, lighting, sound effects, orchestral score and even scent of place really adds to the overall impact!)
I am a special effects make-​up artist and was delighted to see a stunning display of life-​casts from classic Hollywood and British talent (such as Christopher Lee, Alfred Hitchcock, Béla Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price, among others!) For the casual observer and diehard fan alike, informational placards give a background on most of the pieces displayed and even some gems of little known trivia! I was fortunate enough to spend some time speaking with the owner, James Lurgio, who gave me insight as to which artists created some of the pieces and informed me of the upcoming celebrity appearances the gallery has scheduled.
As an added bonus, October is when the gallery is transformed into a scare attraction for the Halloween season. Looking forward to my next visit!

I am embarrassed to say we gawked at the $ 8 price of a short walk-​thru museum, but it was well deserved! The music, the low lighting, and the amazing artistry won us over!
As we started, the gentleman at the counter said: «Oh, and please don’t touch the monsters, as they have kindly agreed not to touch you.» LOL YES I spent the first ten minutes slowly approaching each masterpiece in case it decided to move!

Although I consider myself a local now, I still tend to seek out museums that sound exciting even if they geared more towards tourists. I’ve shied away from the Salem tourist traps for years… until this past weekend when we stumbled in here after having lunch in the area.
It definitely didn’t disappoint! At first I only wanted to see what the lobby was like because the decorations on the outside drew me in. But upon learning it was only $ 8/​pp and we even got a student discount because the wifey is taking classes, $ 16 didnt seem like a waste on this at all. I could hear the spooky music coming from the back and it really got me in the mood to be here.
The money collector was super friendly and answered all of our questions about what lay behind the curtains. I don’t consider myself a horror movie buff by any stretch of the imagine so some of the pieces were a little obscure for me. I love learning about new things so this didn’t bother me at all, in fact, now I want to watch some of the older classics like all of the Frankenstein spinoffs.
Parts of it were legit scary! I felt myself jump when the wife yelled, «there he is!» when I spun around to see Jack Nicholson peeking out of broken door from «The Shining». The props all look extremely real, not wax museum realistic but they are pretty dang close. My absolute favorite part was seeing Elvira in all her busty glory. I stayed up many-​a-​late nights watching her on USA when I was a teenager.
My gripes are few. I see why they don’t charge double digits because if you don’t take the time to read all of the signage you could walk through the entire museum in 10 — 15 minutes, it’s not all that big. They do mention they expand every year by adding three to six new exhibits and they do own quite the collection. I don’t know if they have to pay for the rights but there could be more interactive exhibits like an actual movie playing somewhere along the way. I’m nerdy and don’t mind reading facts but I could see people getting bored fairly quickly with the current offerings.
Still, Count Orlok’s is a pretty good value if you have a half hour to an hour to kill in Salem and don’t want to be suckered in by one of the bad museums in the area. Remember to take your time walking throughout and really try and learn something new from all the facts presented.
Also, no cameras… they are VERY strict about this.

This charming monster museum is not only the best museum in Salem but in my opinion the best attraction all of Salem has to offer! So magical and soo much fun, you won’t be disappointed!!! Take your time to walk through and absorb everything. I look forward to visiting every year, a must-​see for any horror fan!