In addition to a cursed brothel bed, a cauldron from serial killer Ed Gein’s home, evil puppets, and a mummified head are among the eerie artifacts from Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum in Las Vegas. They’ve also inspired the next season of scripted episodes when the series The Haunted Museum returns to Travel Channel on Thursday, October 26 at 10/9 c.
But the season premieres with a tale inspired by a bed that Bunny Ranch Brothel owner Dennis Hof died on, one that is said to have a “sordid and evil history.”
Let’s explore what the first episode of the series from executive producers Eli Roth and Zak Bagans is about. Then, we’ll take a look at the other episodes and the objects that inspired them.
The Cursed Brothel Bed
In “The Cursed Brothel Bed” episode, a single mother finds herself in desperate need of money to pay for her son’s medical treatment. She becomes a sex worker at a legal brothel out of state, unaware of the supernatural danger awaiting her. She discovers a malevolent force attached to her assigned room. When it begins stalking her, she must unravel the mystery before she becomes the entity’s next victim.
The Other Episodes
“The Devil’s Cauldron”
Premieres Thursday, November 2 at 10/9c
In this surreal take on the Ed Gein story, a nurse named Jessie inadvertently comes into contact with a cauldron once used by the infamous grave robber and murderer to render the flesh of his victims. When she becomes infected by the evil attached to the cauldron, she begins having terrifying visions and supernatural encounters with a horrifying stranger. As her condition worsens, Jessie descends into a nightmare traversing time and space.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: After purchasing Ed Gein’s cauldron at a Gein estate sale in 1958, Evelyn Mair’s family had many negative experiences with the cursed item, forcing them to get rid of it.
“Satanic Six String”
Premieres Thursday, November 9 at 10/9c
A troubled teenager stumbles across an old guitar while exploring an abandoned farmhouse. When he plays it, he begins having nightmarish visions of a serial killer who is dead set on continuing his murderous rampage from beyond the grave.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: This guitar was said to be owned by a 13-year-old boy who was found lying dead on his bed with the guitar draped across him. The seller’s online listing mentions black magic, devil worship and more.
“The Evil Puppet Twins”
Premieres Thursday, November 16 at 10/9c
After his ailing grandfather dies, teenager Arthur discovers two vintage puppets in his attic. Once released, the puppets begin to haunt the house with evil intent, looking for a new victim to control.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: A pair of 1800s wooden marionettes with glass eyes that had to be removed from the Carmel Doll Shop in Pacific Grove, California, after a doll collector experienced a series of disturbing events.
“The Stone Face”
Premieres Thursday, November 30 at 10/9c
While working at a wealthy art collector’s mansion, a young man finds an ancient stone carving with supernatural powers that suck him into a hellish, hallucinatory nightmare.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: A famous Iron Age carving haunted item Zak bought from the Metamora Museum with suspicions of having an ancient Celtic curse attached.
“Halloween Ritual Coffin”
Premieres Thursday, December 7 at 10/9c
A teenager steals a prop coffin on Halloween night unaware that it’s cursed with an ancient evil that latches onto him each Halloween after that. Three decades later, Richard has grown into a tormented serial killer who realizes his last option to break the curse involves recruiting help from the coffin’s previous owner.
Inspired Object Fom Zak’s Museum: According to Zak, “This miniature coffin is filled with a human skull, human hair, rattlesnake rattles, etc. I found it in Virginia City, Nevada, at a woman’s old storage unit. She told me a family owned it and said it was cursed and to never open it.”
“The Witch’s Head”
Premieres Thursday, December 14 at 10/9c
William, a wealthy collector of antique oddities, acquires an ancient, mummified head for his personal collection. When he inexplicably slips into an unresponsive state, his family soon discovers that they are being haunted by a malicious entity and are left to fend for themselves against an unimaginable evil.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: One of the most visually terrifying items in Zak’s collection, he alleges it belonged to -a Swedish man who was killed for witchcraft in Scotland.
“The Secret Society Skeleton”
Premieres Thursday, December 21 at 10/9c
A journalist named Georgia discovers an old 16mm movie buried in the yard of the Gothic mansion she has just moved into. Intrigued, she screens the film, only to be shocked by disturbing images of a secret society’s blood rituals. She becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery and the skeleton they use in their rituals, but when she discovers a secret too frightening to ignore, obsession turns to madness as she becomes possessed by the dark forces surrounding her.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: Inspired by two skeletons that belonged to an Odd Fellows fraternal society, likely part of initiation rituals that brought recruits face-to-face with their own mortality.
For More Info
The Haunted Museum season 2 premieres on Travel Channel on Thursday, October 26 at 10/9 c.
Visit travelchannel.com or follow #TheHauntedMuseum on socials for additional content and updates.
Check-In
Which artifact(s) or episode(s) sound scariest to you?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
An Ed Gein cauldron? That right there is scary!
I didn’t watch the first season of it…so, these are fictionalized stories about genuine funky things?
And you will never get me in that museum. Just way too creepy.
The first season, Maria, was awesome! I thought it would be goofy, but Eli Roth took Zak’s items, and made the show REAL GOOD! It was so well done that it should have won an award. I’m serious. It was so eerie, and spooky, and so well-acted from beginning to end … every single episode! You should check out that first season! It was really, REALLY good!
And the way he has it displayed in the museum is goosebumps-invoking.
Yes, Maria. What Troy said. They pick an item from Zak’s museum and Eli Roth turned it into a one-hour scripted fictionalized story based on it.
And the museum isn’t that bad…unless you’re sensitive. Then it might wreak havoc on you. But it’s actually a very well done experience. My hub, is who is NOT into any of this paranormal stuff, thought it was the best museum we’ve ever been to, which says a LOT, because haunted or otherwise, we’ve been to some spectacular museums. So for him to give it that endorsement was huge. lol