Conveniently located across from the El Capitan Theatre is Icons of Darkness, this is from a private collector who has assembled an impressive collection from horror, fantasy, and sci fi! Rich Correll starred in Leave It Beaver as Richard Rickover, wrote for Happy Days, and created Hannah Montana. Strangely, his filmography, mostly comedies, doesn’t include his interest in the subjects of his collection though he did co-write and direct R.L. Stine’s Mostly Ghostly (2008). The exhibit includes some of his collection from over 50 years and there is still more in storage! I have been to many costume and props displays at FiDM and studios, but Icons of Darkness is the most fun. It located at the Hollywood & Highland Mall at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., seen from the street, and next to Foot Locker.
Aliens vs. A Predator, the window display at Icons of Darkness, author’s photo.
Get ticket and information at: https://www.iconsofdarkness.com. I will add the guides at other tours have some gaps in their knowledge, but the docent on my tour was knowledgeable about every piece. Also, some displays have plastic walls or poor lighting that makes photography difficult, not so here, the pics came out looking great. Note: that any video recording is not permitted and that the displays are not behind walls so don’t touch them! The collective is so extensive and I don’t want to spoil all of the displays so this will be an overview of a few that stood out for me. The tours are timed so make your reservation when you get your ticket. I did see a few people walk in from the street to get tickets. The tour lasts about a half and hour, but you have plenty of time to take pics.
There are two sides when you enter, the other side is an exit, but it starts with superheroes. The standout for me was the Catwoman suit worn by Michelle Pfeiffer from Batman Returns. I think the other part that stands out for me is that there are actor likenesses with the costumes. No mannequin heads. The Danny DeVito costume for Penguin was also there. Batman suits from all of the movies were in different sections. A screen used Batgirl suit worn by Alicia Silverstone in Batman and Robin. Between the Batmen was Nick Fury’s costume from Avengers: Age of Ultron. I liked seeing a group of superheroes, including Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and standing above them is the Christopher Reeve, Superman. Around the corner, was the Rocketeer costume and jetpack.
Costume from The Rocketeer, photo by the author.
Also fun was the Gizmo puppet by Rick Baker from Gremlins 2: The New Batch surrounded by the Gremlins! “Mogwai.” In the bushes, a giant T-Rex head from Jurassic Park, ready to bite you whole! Next is Lurtz’s costume and armor, screen used, he was the Uruk-hai leader who faced Aragorn in Fellowship of the Ring. In a Star Wars section, there was a production-made Darth Vader helmet from Star Wars (1977) and Empire Strikes Back (1980). What I found bizarre was a life cast of Mark Hamill from Return of the Jedi in a case while Yoda stands above him! We have the Harry Potter section with Voldemort, envelope and Acceptance Letter from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, all in a case, Daniel Radcliffe’s costume from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011).
There are rows of Terminators and a case with the Endo-Skeleton Arm and Head from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Also from that film, is the bashed, cyborg revealing stunt head and costume. A side hall has an Anthony Hopkins life cast and Muzzle Mask from The Silence of the Lambs (1991). This hall of horrors has side cubicles on either side, one has Jack Nicholsen’s Jack Torrance from The Shining (1980). A cubicle of Pennywise the Clown from IT (2017). Warning: there are jump scares throughout the exhibit, creatures will leap at you, and bursts of air and mist, I’m kinda used to them from the Halloween mazes. This moves on to the Aliens and Predators room. There is a towering Alien Queen, Aliens leaping at you, and a Facehugger in a case ready to give you a hug!
The Facehugger from Aliens, photo by the author.
I really liked the zombie and werewolf Michael Jackson from the Thriller (1983) video. This was on the opposite side of the exhibition. A highlight for me was seeing the Gill-Man suit from Creature from the Black Lagoon , this was actually part of Hugh Hefner’s collection! The classic Universal Monsters are all together! There was an original werewolf costume from The Howling (1981). Among these monsters was also the stunt head and costume of the Night King from Game of Thrones. Looming above a case was the Makeup Effects Head and Costume from The Conjuring (2013). Another favorite was seeing the Harry costume from Harry and the Hendersons. Towards the end was the original costume from The Crow (1994). There is an original costume of Doc Brown with lab coat from Back to the Future (1985) and in front was a studio copy made from the original mold of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Honestly, I would revisit Icons of Darkness to take more pics, especially of those I passed by. Icons of Darkness is an experience for fans of these movies and more!
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