The House of Frankenstein
Attraction Type: Haunted Attraction
Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario
Years Operational: 1971-Present
Designer(s): Waxattract, Distortions Unlimited
Postcard of the attraction in the late-1970's
The House of Frankenstein is perhaps one of, if not the most
important attraction discussed on this website. It played a pivotal
role in the development of Clifton Hill, the world of special
effects, the world of animatronics, the world of haunted
attractions, and the greater amusement industry in general. The
attraction was built in a second story added on to the
pre-existing restaurant and gift shop of the Iannuzelli family's
Hilltop Motel in 1971, and ran by the motel owner's brother Joe.
Local artist Robert Dunham's Waxattract company developed the attraction,
and went partners with the brothers in ownership as well like they had on the Royal London Wax Museum. Dunham had learned from his Fantasy Land attraction at Crystal Beach and his Royal London Wax Museum, or more specifically, the success of his Boris Karloff Wax Museum. The Boris Karloff was more popular than either of them despite being in a much less foot trafficked area, simply due to its horror theme.
The Hilltop Motel Restaurant in the late-1960s.
Hilltop Motel postcard (left, mid-1960's), and an early postcard for The House of Frankenstein (right, 1971) showing how the attraction was built in and atop the pre-existing restaurant building.
The House of Frankenstein would take this a step further, rather than being a more museum-style attraction like the Boris Karloff, it would showcase various wax horror scenes from film and history in a much scarier way, somewhat similar to the haunted house dark rides or haunted fun houses at carnivals and amusement parks, but at the same time, not similar at all. In fact, it was lightyears ahead. I believe it to be one of the most important attractions in amusement history, rivaling the Pretzel Dark Ride, the Enchanted Tiki Room, and Chuck E. Cheese's in historical significance, yet totally overlooked by historians. From what I have been able to gather after years of research, it was the first instance of programmable animatronic figures outside of California's Disneyland, even beating out Disney World in Florida by a few months. It's official title would be "The House of Frankenstein Wax Museum", and while being a wax masterpiece, the word "museum" may have undersold just how incredible the attraction was for the time. It was simultaneously more than a wax museum and more than a haunted house, one could say it was the first modern walk-through haunted attraction, today an over $300 million USD a year industry. The word "museum" however would have probably been the closest possible pre-existing term at the time to give potential visitors an idea what kind of attraction this was.
The House of Frankenstein would keep the gift shop and basement auction gallery of the Hilltop Motel intact, but now the merchandise in the gift shop would be mostly horror themed. Tons of custom merchandise was produced for the attraction (as it would also be for the later Castle Dracula locations), including but not limited to pennants, T-shirts, pins, buttons, patches, mugs, cups, frisbees, pens, scene guide books, View-Master reels, projector slides, and bottle openers. Waxattract would even self-produce latex monster masks and hands cast from the same molds as the figures in their attractions for sale in the gift shops, beginning at the House of Frankenstein.
House of Frankenstein souvenir pin, 1970's.
The attraction's lobby was in a small space in the front corner of the gift shop, leaving the stairs down to the auction gallery intact. The lobby proper had two entrances; one up a staircase on the corner of the building and one on the front of the building slightly up the Hill. There was also a second entrance to the gift shop (which also connected to the lobby) at the other end of the building up the Hill. The lobby held a display of a skeleton raising the lid of his coffin, and the Phantom of the Opera at his pipe organ in the window. This former lobby space is where the Beavertails now sits. The former restaurant would become the first floor of the attraction, with the second floor built above the whole building. The attraction itself was incredibly impressive, and unlike anything done at the time. It featured around 60 scenes, most of which were scenes behind plexiglass and others that were walk through scenes such as the "Twilight Zone" (a strobe mirror maze) or the "Strange Planet", an area with a squishy floor and blacklight eyes peering at you from the darkness, accompanied by Metaluna Mutant from "This Island Earth".
Outside the lobby in the early-70's. The sign for the auction gallery above the staircase to the basement can be seen indside.
The attraction's original brochure featuring a cut-out mask on the cover. While the design has been updated several times over the years, the attraction still uses this same style of brochure to this day, along with several similar phrases in the write-up.
It was a combination of multiple age old concepts into something totally new. Wax museums had long had Chambers of Horror and horror themed sections, but they were never the whole museum, or particularly scary in the try-to-startle-you sense. Dark rides (like the primitive Laff in the Dark at Crystal Beach that Dunham found constantly eclipsing his much more detailed Fantasy Land) had also existed for decades and were the first haunted attractions, but they were rides and not self-guided experiences. Their displays were usually of the quick lighting nature as your car was in continuous motion, the individual scenes were not meant to have a story or be studied. For over half a century, funhouses had been around, providing illusions, startling noises and sometimes dark lighting. Since the mid-60's, dark ride legend Bill Tracy had been making walk-through haunted houses of a similar concept for small amusement parks across North America. Tracy was a visionary and an incredible artist, but his attractions didn't match the detail, atmosphere, and story the House of Frankenstein would later bring.
The figures in the Tracy attractions were fiberglass or paper-mache, never the detail of wax, and the layouts were less focused on the scenes and more focused on the old funhouse style illusions. For example, there would be several illusion rooms like a diminishing endless hallway, a tilted room, or a vortex tunnel, with a small scene between each. The result was 6 or 7 scenes or "scares" throughout the experience, being more in line with a horror-themed-funhouse. These attractions were groundbreaking nonetheless, however the House of Frankenstein was packed with scenes, and took the detail, storytelling, and walk through nature of a wax museum, combined it with the scare factor and startling nature of a dark ride, and sprinkled in the illusions, floor tricks, and mazes of a funhouse.
The cherry on top of it all was Waxattract's technology. By now, Waxattract was an entire family business, with Dunham's wife Betty doing all the costumes and seamstress work for the figures. They had 8 children, all of which would go on be involved in the family business in some way, their eldest son Jeff being the computer and programming mastermind, their son Fred becoming the main sculptor for the figures and painter of the props and backgrounds, their sons Brian and Chris handling the construction and carpentry for the attractions, and Robert himself well-versed and highly involved in all aspects. The Dunhams would pull off some incredible special effects that would still be considered impressive today. Before this, dark rides and funhouses used on/off switches that would trigger a one time action for startling animatronics, or use continuously running motors for displays, as had department store windows during the holidays. However none of these were programmable, at best, you could install a timer that let a motor run for a set amount of seconds, then shut off. It was systems like these which the figures in Dunham's Fantasy Land attraction at Crystal Beach and in the Boris Karloff Wax Museum had run off as well. The House of Frankenstein however would contain a first that Disneyland had previously held a monopoly on: programmable animatronic figures.
Collage of some of the scenes in the attraction from the end of an opening year souvenir guide book.
Chuck E. Cheese's wouldn't open their first store and kick off the animatronics + pizza trend until 1977. Creative Engineering, who would go on to be responsible for rival chain Showbiz Pizza in the 80's, wouldn't begin inventing animatronic figures for theme parks until the mid-late 70's, nor would other early animatronics manufacturers like Sally Corp or AVG. The Dunhams' invention and it's debut in the House of Frankenstein predate them all, harnessing technology to create and animate Frankenstein's Monster like the Doctor himself.
The animatronics system ran on Q4 Quadraphonic Reel-to-Reel Tape. These tapes could also be used to control lights and audio, and many scenes required one of the control boxes to run due to how advanced the animation was. Rather than program an expensive room-sized (at the time) computer, the much more compact system of using analog frequency signals on tape made it possible to implement the system throughout the entire attraction in a number of ways. Going through an opening year guidebook for the attraction, you see how certain scenes couldn't even be possible without the programming system, and if you've seen many of the same scenes still present in the later Lake George location, it becomes even more apparent. Lighting, sound, and specific movements all come together to tell a story, groundbreaking for 1971.
The "Wax Workshop" scene depicting a behind-the-scenes look at the supposed waxworks for The House of Frankenstein. This hilarious self-portrait went on to become a recurring gag in several Waxattract haunted attractions.
"The Seance"
A portion of "The Grotto"
The original "Frankenstein's Monster" scene towards the end of the attraction. The Jacob's Ladder device, as well as The Bride of Frankenstein, are just out of the shot.
Nobody could have expected what awaited them when they walked into the House of Frankenstein, here are some examples of some of the incredible scenes the attraction featured when it opened, keep in mind this is over 50 years ago. There was a Grotto of mummified corpses and circling bats with an echo effect, where guests would actually hear their own voice's echo seemingly chase them down the hallway. This was achieved via microphones hidden in the stucco rock cave walls and a surround sound audio system with heavy reverb. There was also a Seance room where the lights flickered, the table began to float, items began to seemingly move on their own, and air cannons blasted at you. Some other scenes included a smoking electric chair with carbon arcs, scenes of characters "morphing" into other creatures such as Dr. Jekyll becoming Mr. Hyde and Dracula turning into a bat, and even real electrical arcs in a massive Jacob's Ladder device in the Frankenstein scene. In another first, there was even a live actor in a Frankenstein suit outfront (usually one of Dunham's sons in the early years) who would stand perfectly still until a crowd was gathered around, then suddenly lunge forward to incite a large scream from the crowd. The commotion would draw more people to the doors of the attraction, and was a great example of Dunham's genius marketing, a reoccurring theme you'll find on this website.
To take a tour of the attraction as it appeared in 1971
The Phantom of the Opera at his organ can be faintly seen in the background of the many photos people posed for with the popular Frankenstein's Monster walk-around.
The House of Frankenstein tore Clifton Hill apart, and sent shockwaves through the industry. If Tussaud's had began the ball rolling 12 years earlier, the House of Frankenstein was the moment everything fell into place for the identity of Clifton Hill. Waxattract's brilliant artistry, figures, sets, paintings and technical wizardry amounted to an incredible experience. Photos of Clifton Hill in the 1970's shows lineups down the street to even get into the lobby. Soon after the massive success of the attraction, Dunham partnered with the Iannuzellis on a second location in the tourist town of Lake George, NY, which opened in 1973. Many of the figures were made from the same molds and sculpts as their Niagara counterparts, however the list of scenes contained within varied slightly. Waxattract and the Iannuzellis would continue to own the attractions as a partnership until the Iannuzellis, seeing their success, wanted to buy them outright, which Dunham eventually agreed to for the right price.
The attraction drawing a crowd in 1975.
In 1977, the large neon lightning bolt on the front of the building was removed and the giant Frankenstein head sign the lighting bolt "struck" was moved to the side of the building above the arcade. The five gargoyles were added to the facade at this time, which peer down on potential visitors to this day and have become icons of Clifton Hill. The Funland Arcade would be added in an expansion to the building's first floor and basement in 1979, bringing the building right to Oneida Ave. on its downhill most side. The basement auction gallery/motel offices were also expanded below.
The glowing Monster head on the face of the building as it was "struck" by lightning, 1975.
The Funland Arcade expansion, relocated Frankenstein's Monster head, and gargoyles as seen in a 1979 postcard.
The remodeled attraction featuring Burger King in the former Funland Arcade space.
The first major changes came in 1984, when Burger King was opened on the main floor. The gift shop and lobby remained, but its unclear if Burger King only initially replaced the former arcade space, or if the majority of the first floor of the attraction was removed at this time as well (as it would be later), creating the large Burger King space that exists today. The giant Frankenstein's Monster head sign on the side of the building was also removed. More changes came in 1986. The basement auction gallery was removed after the brother who ran it passed away, and it would be replaced with "Super Star Recording Studio", a souvenir recording studio where you could record karaoke, or insert yourself into a green screen music video to take home on VHS. At that time the House of Frankenstein lobby and gift shop were reversed, with the former gift shop space becoming much more open to the street and now holding the attraction's lobby, and the former lobby becoming a now smaller gift shop the attraction exited into. The attraction's path was altered certainly at this time, at least slightly. If the entire first floor of the attraction itself remained beside Burger King is unknown, but where you enter was rerouted to the new lobby (former gift shop), and the exit, which formerly exited to the old gift shop, now exited into the new one (former lobby.) It's also possible that the up and down staircases may have been reversed at this time, however if this ever occurred in the attraction's lifespan or not hasn't been confirmed.
The new lobby featured a front window with a man lowering food down into a pit with Frankenstein's Monster in it, as well as a lobby scene with an animatronic Frankenstein's Monster and his bride. The Bride of Frankenstein figure in the scene was the original one relocated from the Frankenstein finale, which continued to run without the figure. It's unknown who created the rest of the new props however. Its at this point that the earliest confirmed appearance of the iconic, booming announcer voice outside appears. This was almost word for word the write up in the original brochures. This dialogue remains today, although it has been slightly altered over the years, and remains one of, if not the most recognizable sound of Clifton Hill to several generations of visitors. It may date back to even earlier than this, but sound footage of outside the attraction from earlier than this hasn't surfaced. Frequent Clifton Hill visitors will notice the voice sounds strikingly similar to Movieland's talking Pharoah, however whether or not it's infact the same voice actor remains to be confirmed. A TV playing the 1932 Frankenstein film would eventually be added to the lobby at some point in the mid 1990s, next to the display of the Monster and his bride.
The interior of Super Star Recording Studio, 1992.
The "reversed" lobby and gift shop in the 1980's.
The new lobby animatronics installed in 1986 as they appeared in 1992. Frankenstein's Monster remains in the pit below the window to this day.
The 1998 remodel shown here in 2000. While the Monster eating the Whopper is constantly used by critics an example of Clifton Hill's tackiness, it's become a staple of the Hill's skyline and unique character for those able to appreciate it.
In 1989, the copyright holder would switch to the Burland family's Niagara Clifton Group (then still called Beefeater Inc.) along with the Hilltop Motel behind it. It's possible the Iannuzellis sold it to them in '89, but there's evidence to suggest the Burlands bought it back in '86, and it just took the government's copyright records a while to finalize things and catch up. This would explain the heavy remodeling of the attraction in 1986 which the Iannuzellis didn't do to their Lake George location, and also explains a Niagara Clifton Group newspaper ad from 1986 which lists the House of Frankenstein and Super Star Recording Studio on it. The Burlands would sell the complex again in 1998 to Ian Paul, a cousin of the family. Paul added the iconic Frankenstein's Monster eating a Whopper to the roof. The sign on the side of building reading "This is the Original House of Frankenstein Wax Museum" was removed to make way, and the gargoyle that had sat on the roof on that corner of the building was relocated to the facade with the others.
The gift shop was replaced with the Family Fun Arcade, which retained a stairs down to the former recording studio below. This basement now contained another, larger floor of the arcade. The games were operated by Cataract Amusements, who operated the games and rides at the Skylon Tower. The arcade included a large "Bonanza" style shooting gallery at the back, which may have been relocated from (or went to) another attraction. There have been several other Bonanza shooting galleries in Niagara Falls over the years, including in Circus World, the Skylon Tower, Maple Leaf Village, Pyramid Place, and the Midway. The main floor of the actual attraction portion was removed (save for a few scenes) for certain at this point if it hadn't already been before this, replacing it with more Burger King space. This left only the upstairs, and the entrance/exit right next to each other. The lobby scene was remodeled to feature an alligator jumping out of a sewer, a spider that dropped from the ceiling, and Frankenstein's Monster strapped to a stood-up operating table, which could be brought to life if guests flipped a lever. The TV playing the Frankenstein film was relocated to a room in the attraction which was then outfitted with benches, now using a new TV monitor (formerly used to show music videos at the front of Super Star Recording Studio) surrounded by mirrors to appear as a sphere. It's unknown what was located in this room prior, it may have been a large scene or several former scenes with the walls in between knocked out.
The upper level entrance of the Family Fun Arcade in 2000.
Upper level of the arcade seen in a 1998 tourist home video. The stairs down to the larger area below can be seen to the right.
The lobby display in the late-90's. The attraction still features a heavily modified version of the same scene today.
That brings us to the many changes made in the following years. What had already been removed up to this point remains a little hazy, but in addition to the majority of the main floor already being removed, the Creature From the Black Lagoon scene had already been replaced with the giant Distortions Unlimited Jack-in-the-Box. A hallway with blacklight carpeted walls and a squishy floor was also already there at this point, which may have been located in (and re-used the floor from) the former "Strange Planet" room. Several scenes would end up being replaced with new off-the-shelf props from popular prop companies like GAG Studios and the previously mentioned Distortions Unlimited, while others were left empty with varying degrees of decoration left behind in the darkness.
The Bride of Frankenstein figure formerly in the lobby was relocated back inside the museum, now lying on a table in a large dead-end room resembling a crypt. It's unknown if this room was re-used from a former scene or area, or if it was a new addition around this time, as the attraction's original guidebook doesn't necessarily hint on any of the scenes original to that section resembling that theming. The older Frankenstein's Monster that had been added to the lobby back in 1986 was moved inside, and replaced the original Frankenstein scene at the end of the attraction when the new lobby display was installed. The impressive Jacob's Ladder was unfortunately removed at this time, as were the original 1971 animatronics of Frankenstein's Monster, Dr. Frankenstein, and his lab assistant, although their heads would all make re-appearances elsewhere in the attraction. The Frankenstein's Monster head ended up on the body of a figure which was placed in the same area as the Bride of Frankenstein, the Doctor's head ended up hanging from the ceiling (amongst others) in the guillotine scene, and the lab assistant's head ended up in a pot amongst lab equipment in the entranceway.
(Left) Parts of the original Frankenstein's Monster relocated. Notice the motion sensors on the floor visible with the flash photography which make the props activate. (Top right) The Bride moved inside and laid on the table.
(Bottom right) Doctor Frankenstein's head hangs above the Guillotine amongst the other prop heads.
Other additions around this time were a half-body figure of horror movie icon Pumpkinhead on a turntable in the aforementioned dead-end room, a static figure resembling the version of the Monster from the 1994 film "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein", and new floor tiles in the mirror maze filled with a gel that glows green under blacklight. A "Monster Bash" pinball machine was also added to the TV room with the benches. It's regarded as one of the best pinball machines of all time, and was later reproduced due to its popularity. The original 1998 version however, as would have been present in the House of Frankenstein, is now extremely valuable. A more mysterious addition came in the form of three wax mummified bodies hanging in a hallway which guests had to walk through. The figures appear to have been actual wax and fairly old, meaning they may have been relocated from an original scene.
The mummy corridor, early-2010's.
The once again updated lobby scene in 2000.
The lobby scene was updated once again in 2000, with the Frankenstein's Monster receiving a new skin and costume, and the interactive flip switch behind replaced with an animatronic Dr. Frankenstein. The lunging alligator was also removed, the tunnel he slid from sealed off, and a talking skull placed on a shelf above it. The trio would now joke around and sing covers of various songs. The new animatronics were provided by Lifeformations. A 2002 remodel also replaced the original Wolfman figure, updated the facade to be more stone-like instead of the bright green walls, and replaced the two-level arcade (which had occupied a section of the main floor as well as the entire basement) with a gift shop. The Monster Bash pinball machine along the attraction's path was also removed around this time and replaced with a scene containing a coat rack monster prop from the Scarefactory company, hinting that the machine may have been a Cataract Amusements game that had been on the same contract as the arcade.
The updated facade with the stone look shortly after it was installed, early-2000's.
The stairs between the two floors of the gift shop were later removed, becoming two seperate stores. The basement would be a variety of different shops over the following years, including "Teddy Town Circus", a short lived teddy bear store for 2006, before reverting back to a regular souvenir store. In 2009, this basement became the Crystal Caves mirror maze attraction. The gift shop that remained at street level was replaced by Beavertails in 2019, which relocated from the former Hilltop Motel offices around the corner of the building. Also in 2019, the Frankencoaster would be added to the roof of the historic attraction
The entrance to The Crystal Caves below Burger King, Oneida Ave., 2009.
The coaster was bought from Sports Plus Entertainment Center in Lake Grove, New York, where it ran from 2004-2007 and then sat abandoned in a field for years. While the concept seemed like a great fit for Clifton Hill, harkening back to attractions like the WWE Piledriver and the Pink Panther Balloon Ride, it ended up removing even more of the actual haunted attraction's identity. Access to the roof already existed through an extra flight of closed-off employee stairs that led upwards, next to the staircase down at the end of the attraction. This is now utilized to access the coaster, but since they can't make guests to go in through the attraction's exit to access it, to get to the coaster you now walk through what little remains of the beginning portion of the attraction (now much more brightly lit for those who just wish to ride the coaster and not be scared) and climb the stairs to the second floor, where you're met by a plainclothes employee in a chair. From there you're directed through a former employee access doorway straight to the attraction's exit stairwell on the other side of the wall, which contains the stairs up to the coaster. The actual haunted attraction now doesn't begin until after you've climbed the stairs, passed several former scenes (on both floors), and passed the ticket-taker who directs other guests to the coaster. After this you get to the door to the actual attraction, where it's near half-way point would have been originally.
The attraction as it appears today, with the admittedly attention-grabbing Frankencoaster on the roof.
The same year the coaster was added, a shooting gallery named "Franken Frenzy" was added to the haunted attraction portion replacing the dead-end corridor (and the scene that wrapped around it). While another great concept (actually re-using several wax heads and props original to former scenes in the attraction), it seems like a somewhat out of place pit stop in the middle of the attraction which breaks up the pacing, and would probably be better suited for (and get more business in) the lobby or facing the street.
The "Franken Frenzy" shooting gallery. Clever eyes will notice both the original Frankenstein's Monster head and the original Bride of Frankenstein head, disembodied, but fittingly re-united in the same scene once again. Perhaps this scene of the Doctor constructing the monsters could be considered a prequel.
The only original scenes remaining as of writing this are the Guillotine and the Phantom of the Opera, however the Phantom's scene now has a body that flips up and hits the plexiglass to startle you, taking away from the eerie effect of the Phantom in the background. His organ music has also long since been shut off. While the attraction may not have its original charm, fear, and splendor, it has at least attempted to keep things fresh and up to date, which is more than can be said for Castle Dracula down the street.
"Erik", author Gaston Leroux's "Phantom of the Opera", in The House of Frankenstein in 1971 (top), and the unchanged figure today (bottom).
On one hand Castle Dracula at least contains it's original props still (albeit in varying states of decay and dismemberment), making it a living museum of sorts. It would be a much better window into the past if it were not for the pitch-black, trashed state the place was in. The House of Frankenstein on the other hand may have had a lot of the original props removed, but the place is clean as a whistle, effectively lit, run with love, and attempting to remain relevant. For these reasons it remains Niagara's most famous haunted attraction to this day (now that the social media craze of Nightmares Fear Factory photos has died down as it inevitably would) just as it was on the day it opened when it was the only one, and rightfully so. It has both entertained and terrified generations of visitors, passing it's 50th birthday in 2021.
The House of Frankenstein on opening year in 1971 (left), and on it's 50th year in 2021 (right).