What the Museum of Death covers
The Museum of Death in Hollywood brings together material on mortality, funeral practices and crime. Founders JD Healy and Cathee Shultz opened the museum in June 1995, saying they wanted to fill a gap in death education.
Before it became a museum, their San Diego art gallery held an annual exhibition of serial-killer art. The museum grew out of the Rita Dean art gallery and began in San Diego’s first mortuary, in a building the museum says was once owned by Wyatt Earp.
The founders’ collecting included writing to serial killers to learn about them and gathering their artwork and correspondence. In 2000, they moved the museum to a larger Hollywood space after a growing collection of Heaven’s Gate-related items led to controversy and landlord problems in San Diego.
Following later landlord problems in Hollywood, the museum shut down for about seven years before reopening there. The founders opened a second location in New Orleans in 2015. The museum’s history says the two locations have unique collections, without duplicate exhibits or artifacts.
At the Hollywood location, displayed subjects include body bags, coffins, a skull collection, antique mortician apparatuses and the Theatre of Death. Other material covers the Manson Family, crime and morgue scenes, serial murderers’ artwork and letters, graphic car-accident photographs, and cannibalism.
A 2014 Los Angeles Times report described a collection of more than 5,000 objects, photographs, documents and human remains; the founders estimated that no more than one-third could be displayed. The museum describes its content as intended for mature audiences and warns parents about the subject matter.
How the exhibits are presented
The visit is self-guided, so you move through the material at your own pace. The museum says a visit usually takes approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, though you may stay longer.
To see the entire museum, it recommends arriving no later than 1 hour before that day’s posted closing time. If you are planning around a particular closing time, leave enough room for the full visit rather than arriving near the end of the day.
Photography of any kind and cellular-phone use are prohibited inside. Large bags and backpacks are prohibited too; the museum says backpacks and oversized bags may be held. If you have luggage, a stroller or a push cart, consider storing it before arrival, as these items may be difficult to navigate inside.
Food, beverages and chewing gum are not allowed. The rules also prohibit smoking, vaping, chewing tobacco and weapons. The museum reserves the right to refuse service to anyone, so review its visitor policies before setting out.
Admission, hours and visitor policies
Admission is $24 per person: $23 plus a $1 service fee. Tickets are sold only in person; the museum does not offer advance or online sales. The business is cashless and accepts credit, debit and tap payments, so plan to use one of those methods at the entrance.
The Hollywood location is open seven days a week, Monday through Sunday, from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The museum recommends arriving at least 1 hour before the posted closing time if you want to see everything. Hours, prices and visitor policies can change, so check the official site before you go.
The museum states that there is no age limit, but children may not enter without a parent present. It strongly recommends the museum for mature audiences, a point to weigh when deciding whether to bring children.
Its accessibility statement describes accessibility efforts for the website but does not provide visitor-access details for the physical Hollywood museum; contact the museum directly if you need information about access inside.
Finding the museum in Hollywood
The museum’s address is 6363 Selma Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028, and its listed phone number is (323) 466-8011. The visitor information does not specify parking arrangements or public-transit directions for this location. If you need those details to plan your arrival, contact the museum before you set out rather than assuming parking or a particular transit route is available.
For a broader Hollywood outing, you can also use this guide to visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame to plan another stop. The museum’s address gives you a concrete starting point for arranging your day; allow the recommended visit time and arrival buffer when coordinating other plans.