It’s a funny thing, monsters, and horror. Some shy away from the creepy darkness while others find a passion and community. In fact, the latter is exactly what happened to filmmaker and haunter Tom Devlin who created The Monster Museum in Boulder City, Nevada. “Where?” you might ask. Boulder City is a little town of 16,000 people, just outside of Las Vegas on the way to Hoover Dam. It is in the humble berg that Devlin has set up a walkthrough tribute to his favorite horror creators and creations while building a family and making a return to film.
We first met Tom as he picked up a group of media at the Harry Reid airport in Las Vegas. Affable, covered in tattoos, he escorted us to the limo that he arranged for our trip to Boulder City. We were there to visit the town, the museum, and to get a look at his new film Teddy Told Me To. As we cruised along the desert, we got to know Tom. Eventually, the question was posed, “Why open a monster museum in a random city outside of Las Vegas?”. This is when I learned of Devlin’s history and was reminded of the strong connection that horror fans have with their genre.
Hailing from Pennsylvania, Devlin left high school with the proclamation that he would be working in Hollywood. Then it happened. While his peers were graduating High School, Devlin was working on The X Files and loving it. You have only to look at his credits on IMDB to see just how things turned out. Makeup, special, and creature effects were his jam, but at some point, he mulled over the thought of opening a monster museum on Hollywood Boulevard. Lease prices squelched that idea and it was shelved. More on that later.
Arriving at the museum we see that a 5-year anniversary celebration is happening. Yes, Devlin and his creepy collection have been enticing visitors for a full 5 spins around the sun. Obviously, the idea was working. But how did the museum end up here? We enter the front door and arrive in a gift shop festooned with collectibles and memorabilia. At the far end of the room is the entrance to the museum. The place is alive with activity and Devlin is gathering family and invited guests for a private tour through the exhibit.
We enter the creaky double doors into the walkthrough and our tour begins. This is a gloriously intimate experience. As we walk Devlin explains how each figure was molded or constructed by him and his team. If he didn’t make it, then he knows who did and can tell you why it is significant. His enthusiasm is contagious and we have soon been pulled into a fascinating exploration of monster creation and haunting. We see recreations of Nosferatu, The Phantom of the Opera, The Mummy, The Munsters, Frankenstein, Wolfman, Regan from The Exorcist, and the Xenomorph from Alien and that is just the first segment. Turning a corner we see a long, lighted display case. Here are actual screen-used masks and props from the Troma classic Poultrygeist. Further down are pieces from Full Moon’s Puppet Master series.
You see, after years in Hollywood Devlin reached a point where it was no longer “fun”. Discouraged, he and his wife moved to Florida where they began to start a new life. In his off time, Devlin actually started to build an early version of The Monster Museum in an old mortuary that never opened. Detached from Hollywood, Develin was offered a teaching job in Las Vegas. He and his wife moved to the little city of Boulder City, Nevada, and began again to establish a home base. Still, the siren call of haunts and his passion project persisted.
Eventually, Devlin found a spot along the route to Hoover Dam that he could invest in to build the nightmare. And build he did. Devlin and co. started by utilizing a third of their current footprint. Slowly more space became available and Devlin constructed more nightmarish set-pieces. Today the museum uses the entire original building along with a site next door where a haunted house is thrown every fall.
The tour is over and we empty into the lobby and gift shop. Devlin’s daughter offers an original drawing that she has created on a piece of paper the size of a Post-it. The price is $2 which is reasonable for original art. The overall takeaway is that Horror finds a way. Devlin landed just outside of Vegas only to revisit his idea of creating an homage to that which kept him going; monsters and horror. What’s more, it resonated. A quintessential roadside attraction Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum is a scrappy edifice to monsters and horror. Bigger picture, it is a walkthrough alter to the passions that keep us all going.
Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum is easily worth the trip from Vegas and a good bet for horror fans. You could even check out that engineering marvel nearby.
If you would like a full video walkthrough of the Monster Museum, catch the video below!
