Museum of the Bizarre

Museum of the Bizarre is an independent museum and attraction at 201 South Water Street in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. It opened in 2015 to display the private collection of tattoo artist and collector Justin LaNasa. LaNasa had collected unusual objects for approximately twenty years before establishing the museum, beginning with a preserved pig foetus and gradually acquiring thousands of items connected with natural abnormalities, crime, horror films, history and paranormal claims.

The collection follows the tradition of the cabinet of curiosities and American sideshow museum rather than that of a conventional scientific institution. Displays include taxidermied animals with congenital abnormalities, preserved specimens, skulls, anatomical objects and alleged shrunken heads. Among the better-known exhibits are a two-headed calf, the so-called Fort Fisher Mermaid and objects presented as a unicorn horn, a chupacabra hand and a Bigfoot footprint. Some displays consist of genuine biological specimens, while others are replicas, constructed curiosities or objects presented through folklore and cryptozoological claims.

A substantial section of the museum is devoted to true crime and murderabilia. It contains letters, drawings, manuscripts and personal objects attributed to convicted killers including John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Rader, Richard Ramirez and Edmund Kemper. The museum also displays knives and other material it identifies as having belonged to Jeffrey Dahmer, including objects acquired from his father, Lionel Dahmer. These exhibits are presented alongside interviews, photographs and information about the crimes. Some areas contain graphic crime-scene material and are marked with parental warnings.

Horror cinema and Wilmington’s film industry form another major part of the collection. The museum displays props, costumes and figures connected with productions filmed in and around the city. One prominent exhibit is an Annabelle doll created for The Conjuring by special-effects artist Tony Rosen. This is a film prop and should not be confused with the Raggedy Ann doll associated with Ed and Lorraine Warren’s paranormal collection. Other displays include life-sized horror characters and props from locally produced films and television programmes.

The museum also presents historical and occult-themed objects. These have included a lock of hair attributed to Alexander Hamilton, a Ouija board described by the museum as having belonged to Harry Houdini, vintage medical equipment, séance material and the Crystal Skull of Knowledge. The collection combines documented historical objects with items whose histories depend on the museum’s attribution or on supernatural and popular legends.

Interactive attractions are located within the same building. The Mirror Maze uses repeated reflections and lighting to create a disorientating walk-through environment. The Laser Vault challenges visitors to cross a room filled with harmless laser beams without interrupting them, with penalties added to the completion time when a beam is broken. These attractions require separate admission from the main museum collection.

The museum occupies the former Wilmington Iron Works Building. Industrial activity on the property dates to the 19th century, and the present structure incorporates elements of a building probably erected in 1869 and reconstructed in brick in 1925. Wilmington Iron Works operated there as a machine shop from 1908 until 2000, producing equipment and metal components for railways, ships, agriculture and local industry. Original industrial features remain visible, including a sliding metal door and a frame bearing the company’s name.

In November 2025, Wilmington City Council designated the Wilmington Iron Works Building as a Local Historic Landmark. Museum of the Bizarre continues to occupy the property and regularly changes or adds exhibits as new objects enter the collection.