Project of the Month: Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors

Aimee Cleary
Oct 14
2 min read

In celebration of the original haunted house: The History of Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds.

Originally opened in 1818 by our founder Marie Tussaud, this chillingly intimate horror experience brings you unsettlingly close to some of London’s darkest and most notorious criminals of the last 150 years, as well as their disturbing crime scenes and artifacts used in the crimes.

Over 200 years has passed since the chamber’s debut but how did it come about?

The story of Chamber of Horrors best starts in 1793, during the French Revolution. Marie Tussaud, because of her association with French royalty of the time, was tasked with making death masks of the revolution’s victims. This was where she first discovered the public had a deeply embedded fascination with the darker sides of humanity and horror.

She moved to France in 1802, and after touring the country extensively, displaying the death masks, relics and other macabre elements of her exhibition, her popularity began to grow.

In 1818, Marie finally found a space that allowed her to showcase the darker elements of her exhibition in a separate room to her other figures. She then began to tailor her figures to fit public interest; the first being Col. Despard who was executed for treason after conspiring to murder King George III.

In 1835, the attraction moved to Baker Street with even more authentic relics inside. Marie was incredibly dedicated to her craft and would only create a criminal’s figure if she could see them in person, to get this she would attend trials and convictions at every opportunity.

Over the next few decades, the Chamber of Horrors grew and included many more figures of British criminals. Through fires and bombings in the 20th century, Madame Tussauds London and Chamber of Horrors remained as strong and popular as ever.

Chamber of Horrors is a deeply embedded part of Madame Tussauds London history and part of the attraction’s DNA. It shines a light on the darkest sides of humanity and the public’s fascination with crime, bringing you face to face with true horror.