'There should be a way to pay tribute to these movies,' he explained. Visitors are led through several rooms by a docent who explains the various pieces, giving guests ample time to ooh and ahh, appreciate the scope, study the details and take plenty of selfies. That piece remains under glass, but in the more than 50 years since, Correll has amassed what may be the world's largest collection of horror, sci-fi and fantasy memorabilia, with 2,800 pieces worth close to $15 million.įor a long time, Correll housed his collection in a massive warehouse in Ohio, but having them back in Hollywood for the Icons of Darkness exhibit is a bit of a homecoming. Guy said, 'Yeah, sure.' That launched this hobby of mine.' I said to these guys, 'Hey, can I take that?' I was a little, you know, like 10-year-old kid. 'There was a head in the trash from a movie called 'Abbott and Costello meet Dr. When they finally talked their way into the room, he recognized an opportunity when he saw it. This was a time when film memorabilia was just being thrown away, he said. 'We used to bug our makeup guy about, 'Hey, can you take us to the makeup lab at Universal?'' 'Jerry Mathers and I were huge monster fans,' he said.

'I'm right at home with all this stuff,' he laughed.Ĭollecting creatures has been a lifelong passion for Correll, dating back to when he was a child actor on the TV show 'Leave it to Beaver.'

The exhibit runs through the end of the year, with a larger Hall of Fame expected to open in 2022.

Icons of Darkness includes pieces from horror films, science fiction and fantasy.

For more than 50 years, he's collected more than 2,800 pieces worth $15 million.

Rich Correll began collecting movie artifacts when he was a child.

The long dark icons