I Survived Zak Bagans Haunted Museum

Over the years, I have watched episodes of Ghost Adventures from time to time, particularly if an episode covers a location I have previously visited. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I learned that Zac Bagans had a haunted museum there, and I thought it would be something fun to see.

As I pulled up, I was expecting to see a drab, lifeless building, but instead I was dazzled by a beautiful, historic Tudor-style mansion that seemed to welcome me. Looking at this 1938 home, which was once home to the Wengert family, a prominent family in Las Vegas's early history, I couldn't help but imagine the sounds of children running through the hallways and the elaborate dinners the family must have once had there. I couldn't wait to get inside!

My warm, fuzzy feelings began to fade quickly as I walked up to the entrance and was handed a tablet with a waiver to sign. The waiver was to not only acknowledge the risks involved in visiting the museum, but also to agree not to hold the museum responsible for any damages that could occur, including bodily injury, emotional distress, property damage, and even death! What was I getting myself into?

Upon entering the museum, the mood quickly changed. The area was dark and creepy with foreboding artifacts surrounding the room, and the creep factor quickly kicked in, and the tour hadn't even started. The 11,000 square feet mansion has over 30 rooms, many of which I was about to see.

One of the first rooms I visited was the Exorcist room, which contained the actual exorcism box used by priests on Anneliese Michel, a young German woman on whom the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose was based. Michel sustained 67 exorcisms over the course of 10 months and died at a mere 67 pounds from malnutrition and dehydration.

As if the story wasn't frightening enough, Bagans had an actual audio recording of one of the exorcisms playing while in the room. The sound was so chilling, I almost felt like I was there in person. I breathed a sigh of relief when I left the room, but the relief didn't last long.

Over the course of 2 1/2 hours, I saw many items that gave me the ultimate in chills. Now, not everything in the museum is haunted or even has a tainted history. In fact, many of the items were just very interesting antiques. However, there was certainly a fair share of morbid memorabilia.

Take the serial killer exhibit. Here, some of the most notorious serial killers are on display. There's a showcase for John Wayne, also known as Killer Clown, that includes some of his personal items, including the last pack of cigarettes he ever smoked before being executed.

There were bone fragments from Charles Mansion as well as a painting of Mansion, which included some of his dead body's ashes in the eye portion of the painting. In addition, there was Ted Bundy's murder kit. Now, if this didn't give one a dark enough feeling, in another room of the museum was the actual 1968 Volkswagen van where Dr. Jack Kevorkian (also known as Dr. Death) carried out over 130 assisted suicides.

As a group, we were warned that many people feel an overwhelming sadness in the room and that some women had even fainted! I looked around the room. So far, everyone was still on their feet. I was curious enough to want to look into the van, but didn't want to be "that woman" who collapsed on the floor. I took a deep breath and peeked inside. There was a mannequin of Janet Atkins, who was the first woman to die using Kevorkian's suicide machine. Looking inside brought an overwhelming sadness to me when I thought of how many people died in there.

Whether it be fear or sadness, emotional feelings followed me throughout the tour. One of the more intimidating objects was that of Bela Lugosi's (the original Dracula) mirror. Lugosi used the mirror for scrying in hopes of contacting his late wife. Some believe this opened a portal to the other side.

In addition, the mirror is said to have connections to the grisly unsolved murder of Frank Saletri, who lived in Lugosi's old house. Many claims have been made concerning incidents after viewing the mirror, including scratch marks, shadowy figures, and arms reaching out of the mirror.

Visitors were given the choice to leave the room before the curtain was opened to view the mirror, and those who stayed were informed that they were doing so at their own risk. About half the people left the room, and I questioned if I was doing the right thing by staying. However, Bela Lugosi was one of the greatest horror actors of all time, so I couldn't resist a quick look. Fortunately, no figures appeared and no arms reached out to choke me.

One of the creepiest parts of the museum was a hallway that was filled with life-size clown figures. Logically, I knew they were nothing more than inanimate objects, and there were no scary stories surrounding them. Yet, I found myself walking as quickly as I could through the hallway, worried that at any moment, Pennywise might jump out at me.

There was much more morbid memorabilia to be seen, like Peggy, a doll encased in glass, that is said to be one of the most haunted dolls in the world, which has caused numerous people physical ailments, including headaches, nosebleeds, and even a heart attack! There was also a Dybbuk box, which is said to be cursed and holds an evil demon inside.

Add to the above a trip down into the basement where Satanic rituals were held in the 1970s. The area has such dark energy inside that the tour guide wouldn't even go down there.

The above is just some of what was seen at the museum. There was plenty more, and while initially a 2 1/2 tour sounded way too long, the time flew by, and before I knew it, the tour was over. As I stepped outside, it was wonderful to breathe some fresh air again, and I hoped my experiences there were over. (Apparently, there have been many cases of spirits attaching themselves to visitors after the tour.) Nevertheless, I survived Zak Bagans' haunted museum!

Now, did I see any actual ghosts while on the tour? No. However, at one point, I felt something brush up against my leg, and there was nothing next to me. I reported what happened to an employee and was told this was a common occurrence, and most likely it was from a little boy who haunts the museum.

I wasn't taking any chances when I got back to my hotel. I kept looking into the mirror at a minimum, and as I was alone in my room. I slept with the TV on both for light and for some sound. Many people have claimed to have nightmares after visiting the museum. Fortunately, I wasn't one of them.

How about you? Would you visit Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum?