The Witch’s Dungeon

Cortlandt Hull with figure of his great uncle, Henry Hull,

Cortlandt Hull with figure of his great uncle, Henry Hull, "The Werewolf Of London"

An illustrated lecture and show and tell with collector, artist, and proprietor of “The Witch’s Dungeon” Cortlandt Hull
Date: Friday, May 20th
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Part of
Out of the Cabinet: Tales of Strange Objects and the People Who Love Them, presented by Morbid Anatomy and Evan Michelson

Friday, May 20th may be a dark and stormy night. Brave souls normally catch the coach at midnight from the Borgo Pass to access the lawless and far off lands of Bristol, CT, spoken about in hushed tones as the home of the Witch’s Dungeon. But on this rare occasion the stars have aligned and like the Baba Yaga’s chicken-footed cabin, the Witch’s Dungeon is coming to Observatory!

Tonight, Cortlandt Hull will be speaking about his life’s work: the creation and evolution of The Witch’s Dungeon, a museum consisting of life size reproductions of classic film monsters. Growing up during the 1960’s monster boom, Cortlandt began construction of the Witch’s Dungeon 45 years ago in the back yard of his parent’s house. Over its near half century in existence, the Witch’s Dungeon has continually creaked open its doors, striking chords with patrons, becoming a true piece of Americana, and attracting many of the actors and filmmakers commemorated in the museum.

Cortlandt will also be screening clips of his multiple documentary films, providing a visual history of the actors & makeup artists who created the classic films. Original head props from fantasy films will be on display along with samples of Cortlandt’s work from the Witch’s Dungeon.

Cortlandt Hull-artist, museologist, and film historian-began “THE WITCH’S DUNGEON CLASSIC MOVIE MUSEUM” when just 13. in 1966. It is now considered the longest running tribute to the makeup artists & actors from classic horror films. Featuring accurate life-size figures of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, and many others. Many of the figures are made from the actual life casts of the actor’s faces Cortlandt has produced documentaries on the history of classic horror & fantasy films. Actor, Henry Hull (”Werewolf of London”) was Cortlandt’s great uncle, and Josephine Hull (”Arsenic & Old Lace”) was his great aunt, so fantasy & horror is “in the blood”! He has lectured at universities, and film festivals, across the country, and has written for books and magazines.

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