5 Museums You Wouldn't Want To Spend The Night

Sleeping over in a museum sounds like fun until the mannequins start moving. Happy International Museum Day, everyone!

1. Madame Tussauds' Chamber of Horrors

Via en.wikipedia.org

In 1850, Charles Dickens started the rumor that if a person stayed the entire night in Madame Tussauds' Chamber of Horrors, he or she would win a cash money prize. Of course, there was no prize, but a few people over the years have tried to get through the night in arguably one of the creepiest exhibits known to mankind. There was even a night watchman whose job was to make sure people stopped trying to camp out.

2. The Mütter Museum

Via muttermuseum.org

You've likely heard of this place. It's a museum full of medical specimens. Skulls. A nine-foot human colon containing forty pounds of poop. Soap Lady. This place would be creepy enough to visit in the daytime (and for six years of me living in Philly, I never worked up the courage to go).

3. Hollywood Wax Museum

Via vice.com

Now, this is no Chamber of Horrors, as mentioned above. They're not trying to be scary, but this was one of the creepiest damn museums I'd ever been to. Look at this picture! One eye is on the thing in his hand, and the other eye is saying, "DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!"

4. El Museo De Las Momias

Via momiasdeguanajuato.gob.mx

It's a museum of open mummies. No coffins. No glass barriers. Just you and a bunch of would-be zombies* waiting for their moment.

*although mummies as themselves hold their own genre.

5. Glore Psychiatric Museum

Via legendsofamerica.com

People afraid of being "committed" are usually talking about something archaic like this. With pieces such as the Tranquilizer Chair (pictured -- and that poop hole doesn't make it look very tranquil), it's no wonder the medical community stood back and said, "You know what? This isn't helping," and redesigned how we care for mental illness.

Booktrope / Via amazon.com

Melanie Surani is a blogger, hair stylist and author with a heart for international travel. Follow her adventures at: http://melsurani.tumblr.com/

AWAKE is a novel about five strangers who wake to find themselves trapped in an abandoned art museum. They set out to free themselves - only to find that the illusion of death is sometimes worse than the real thing.