Cleveland museums have a spooky side

Troy Smith

Fossils of the head of a giant fish in front of a windownon display at a museum. — The Dunkleosteus. Photo: Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Some of Northeast Ohio's most prestigious cultural institutions harbor artifacts that could give even the bravest visitors the creeps.

In the spirit of Halloween, here are four spooky museum highlights:

Cleveland Museum of Natural History: The museum's Visitor Hall houses fossils of Dunkleosteus, a fearsome armored fish that terrorized Ohio's ancient seas 360 million years ago.

Cleveland Museum of Art: The nearly 4,000-year-old coffin of Senbi features painted "magical eyes" intended to let the deceased witness the sun's daily rebirth.

Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick: The Old Brooklyn museum is packed with occult curiosities, but an artifact known as the "Demon in a Box" sounds like something straight out of a horror movie.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Among its collection of artifacts celebrating punk, goth and shock rock is an early version of Alice Cooper's infamous stage guillotine, used to simulate his execution during concerts.

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Cleveland museums have a spooky side

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