- Welcome to the morgue.
(screams)
- You don’t know what’s around the next corner.
That kind of feeling.
I think people really get a kick out of it.
- It may feast on the screams of Seattle locals, but
this terrifying attraction has a surprisingly big heart.
- I didn't realize that taxidermy
was an art form.
- This studio challenges the grisly reputation of taxidermy,
showing the beauty
and skill behind the craft.
- It's a very unique cemetery,
and there's some spooky history here too.
(crows cawing)
- Let's take a tour through Seattle's oldest
and most historic cemetery.
(scream)
These stories and more.
Next on CityStream.
(♪♪)
- Hi, I'm Mona Locke.
Welcome to CityStream from Georgetown Morgue.
Let's venture inside.
Joe's going to show us what surprises await.
Travelers long East
Marginal Way often spot the sign for the Georgetown Morgue
and wonder, is it a real morgue?
Or is something far more sinister?
In fact, it's one of the premier haunted attractions
in the Pacific Northwest and the only full scale haunt in Seattle.
(scary sounds)
What began in a parking lot promoted by KUBE 93 FM
founder Scott Kolling
moved into this iconic location in 2009.
Rumor has it the building carries
a dark past, making it
the perfect setting to send chills down
the spines of Seattle's
most eager fright seekers.
(screams)
From winding paths around every corner
lurks a terrifying encounter,
from actors to animatronics,
all designed to keep haunt goers on edge.
Producer Chris Barnes gives us a look
at what makes this haunt
one of the most spine
tingling attractions in Seattle.
- I see a lot of clowns.
I heard there's clowns here
and I hear chainsaws,
so that's kind of
what I'm expecting to see.
- I'm not really sure.
I think we're just really excited
that it’s Halloween.
- Jump scares and people chasing you.
- They all heard of the horrors inside,
but still they come into the Georgetown morgue.
- Welcome to the Morgue.
Proceed through this corner.
(haunting music)
(screams)
- We’re a high scare,
kind of a low gore haunt,
but there is some gore here
just to keep the Halloween people happy.
But we want to get you as many times as we can.
(screams)
- Scott Kolling’s
masterful design leaves people terrified.
- As far as what you see when you come in is
we've got themed areas of the show.
The first part of the haunt
is a morgue theme,
kind of the industrial area of the hunt full of spots
We’ve got a bunch of barrels,
don't really know what to expect.
This is kind of a fun spot...
(growls)
So in between the scenes,
we try to have spots where we can scare
you as well.
You kind of already been out of the scene,
already seen in the scare,
and you think you're okay
until the next area, but we still
try to get you there as well.
Coming through.
Don't expect anything.
And then there's a scare.
(scream)
(scary music)
- My name is Scara,
and I'm the casting and costume director
of the Georgetown Morgue Haunted House.
I also run makeup.
(♪♪)
This year, with my costumes,
I've kind of gone for a 1940s
look, so, like, I'm like an orderly.
I also have people downstairs who are also
orderlies in the Georgetown Morgue area.
I've also delved into sewer people
and voodoo people towards the end.
I get a lot of inspiration
from older movies, especially comedies
and kind of dark vintage movies as well.
- Hello. All right, so...
- Georgetown
Morgue is legendary for its elaborate makeup,
transforming ordinary men into monsters.
- I am a patient in the Morgue.
I guess you could say.
You walk by, I get up,
just scared the heck out of them.
- She is a voodoo banshee priestess kind of ghoul thing.
- My character in The Hunt is,
I don't know, kind of a zombie thing.
- These performers go all out
terrifying guests even before they enter.
- How do you think she'd walk with only one foot? (Laughs)
- I'd rather be hopping around ground.
- I’ll let them know you're coming.
Yeah!
Oh, here we go! Girls, girls!
(screams)
- I love being at the haunted house.
I love working here.
It's definitely some creative niche
that started as something fun
and it’s taken off into my career.
I like working with hunters and I like
working in the haunted house industry.
- Something to scare Scott Kolling's
haunted house long before she worked here.
- I actually used to go to Scott Kolling's
haunted houses when I was a child.
Well, me and my cousins, it was what we would do.
The only time we'd get along is we'd
go to Scott Kolling’s haunted houses.
- Scott developed a passion for haunting
early on.
- My dad had done haunted attractions,
and so I had gone through
quite a few of his as a youngster.
So we used a lot of their different ideas
and designs from what then scared me
as a kid.
- Golding's first haunted house was a hit.
From that point on, he knew the dark
attraction industry was for him.
He haunted various cities, taking over the
KUBE 93 house in 2002.
Six years later, that house moved,
becoming the Georgetown Morgue.
- And we had been in the Southcenter Mall parking lot in a tent.
And so our dream really was just to get a building here in Seattle.
We wanted to be in the Seattle area where we were close to.
- And the Georgetown morgue has been terrifying the people of the region ever since.
While many of the demons
ooze blood, the bloodletting
extends to the guests all too willingly.
- For the last three years we've worked
with Blood Works, which is awesome.
I've been trying to work with the blood group
for a while, and finally got one that's behind us here.
- Three tons of bull for me.
- The idea is that the Georgetown Morgue is
so popular that the line gets very long.
It's about two hours long.
So rather than waiting in the line
and doing nothing, if you and your friends
want to save some lives, all we need is one donor.
We'll upgrade you with four VIP passes to skip the line entirely.
Why not come in, give blood, have a cookie,
save some lives.
(♪♪)
- It's a great thing you're giving blood.
You're giving back. And we'll give back
by putting you right into the door.
(screams)
- I believe a lot of people like to come and get scared
coming to the haunted house.
It feels good when you're running and being chased out.
- It's like a roller coaster.
You don't know what's around the next corner.
That kind of feeling.
I think people really get a kick out of it.
- They came out
of the corner , they're like, wha - pop!
And then I was like, oh my God, that is really scary.
- It was awesome.
We try to do haunted houses like this in the area.
This is definitely the best experience we've had.
- Remember the terror you endured in
the Georgetown Morgue does not end when you exit.
It returns in your nightmares over.
And over and over and.
(sinister laugh, scary music)
(monster howls)
- In addition to partnering with Blood Works Northwest,
the Morgue hosts a canned food drive, collecting nearly six
tons of food for Food Lifeline
each year. To learn more and view
their schedule, visit SeattleHaunts.com.
Next on City Stream,
E. Putnam Studios offers a one of a kind
taxidermy class transforming death
into art.
Seattle Channel.
2025 Northwest Regional Emmy recipient
for overall excellence.
(♪♪)
- For this next story, we meet Elizabeth Putnam, a natural
history artist who specializes in insect art and taxidermy.
While some might see her work as macabre.
Elizabeth reveals the striking beauty
found in the world of taxidermy.
Producer Matt Peterson has more.
- So today we're using European starlings,
highly invasive.
(♪♪)
We can fix all of that
if you make a hole in the skin,
but that's part of taxidermy.
I am a taxidermist and natural history artist,
and I own and operate E. Putnam Studio.
The goal of taxidermy is
everything we're taking out or replacing.
(♪♪)
Ultimately taxidermy.
It's not just about skinning
and putting it back together, but
that understanding of how that
anatomy kind of works.
(♪♪)
You don't press anything else.
I am the only taxidermist in Seattle
that's offering these classes.
I was encouraged to open up these classes
as another opportunity to share this art form
with people that otherwise, it's really difficult to learn.
Anyone that has an art background has a step up.
(♪♪)
We're going to make an incision.
When you're skinning a bird,
you have this personal connection,
and you are able to see the function of these little animals.
Then I'm going to use the scissor.
It's not for everyone.
All the people that do this like really love animals.
- Yeah.
I just wanted to try something new, something different.
I love animals, and I feel like this is a way to combine
my passion for animals with kind of like an artsy, creative side.
- This is where I'm trying to get it to go.
And they really are just like
very curious individuals and want to keep learning.
(♪♪)
Students love to learn
what the inside of birds look like.
(♪♪)
I'm going to start down the bottom,
and then I'll just hold the wire tight
as I'm wrapping it all the way up.
(♪♪)
We don't want to just to meet.
We actually want overlap.
You maybe don't need to learn how to do a deer head or duck,
but you want to learn how to do this little bird.
Wonder if that's why they're such good little survivors.
When I first
started, I didn't realize that taxidermy was an art form.
- So now I can just. Snip through that.
I get to have a greater appreciation of animals.
I get to work on specimens
we never going to see in the wild.
That's where we're cutting.
Students that take the class with me,
most are women.
That seems to be the trend.
(♪♪)
- I think for a long time I kind of had
in my mind that it was like a male dominated field.
- You're doing really good.
- I think it's easier now for people to see other women
and think, oh, I could try this too.
Maybe they don't feel comfortable sharing this hobby.
They have a welcoming environment here.
We're going to remove this all.
-I’m just happy to find that there are
female taxidermist ones who teach classes.
So that's been really nice
(♪♪)
- Going in
and then towards the towards the body.
And I'm doing this type of feel.
I think just wrap it. Okay.
What I'm trying to do right now
is see which end to pull through here.
Because this is the most important part of these wings.
Okay. That looks good.
So I'm just trying to keep it straight.
And then there's that little ear hole.
And we can tuck that in.
(♪♪)
We've removed the carcass.
We've removed all the meat in the fat.
So now the skin is all cleaned and is ready
to start on the mounting process.
(♪♪)
So I'll show you how to fold the wings down.
- This is like the most exciting thing.
It makes it less slide, leg mystifies it, demystifies it in a way.
So it's more of an art form now than it is a trophy.
- It's a really cool art, and I think that, like anybody that does
it wants other people to understand,
like how how important it can be
for education and connecting,
especially children to animals.
I think that's really important.
- It might seem like kind of scary at first, but.
It's like pretty fun.
And cool to like, learn more about them and stuff.
This is so fun. This is like the best part.
You're going to take a class with other people
who you have this overlap of interest?
And that is such a rare thing to be able to find in person.
And then also good to have this,
this shared experiences with people that I wouldn't meet otherwise.
- It's really pretty.
- So there's not many
opportunities that you get to be so hands on and like one on one.
That's what makes this opportunity so special.
- I'm going to go under this very thin skin.
It's a little bit more secure.
- Really nice having a small class
because I feel like you get very much hands on instruction.
They will go back and do the finished work.
- I mean, I'd say it's exceeded my expectations.
I didn't know exactly what to expect.
But yeah, I'm really happy.
(♪♪)
- Elizabeth offers a two day
intro to a bird taxidermy workshop where participants
can explore the art and science of taxidermy firsthand.
To learn more, visit our website EPutnamStudio.com.
(♪♪)
Just ahead, we take you
behind the scenes of the morgue to see how it all operates
and what it takes to become one of its terrifying ghouls.
- Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
(♪♪)
- We return from the Georgetown Morgue.
This haunted attraction comes alive from late September
through the first week of November.
Each season, thousands of visitors
pack the streets with the line
stretching for blocks,
sometimes with a two hour wait
as Halloween nears.
(scary growl)
Inside, every corridor
and twisting passage is designed
to deliver the perfect fright.
- We’re excited and you’re in for a treat!
- And for the actors, it's what they live for.
But when the screams fade and the season
ends, the work doesn't stop.
During the off season, Scott, Kolling
and his crew stay busy building fresh sets
and crafting the next round of fear that will greet visitors
when fall returns home.
(creature growls)
- I'm joined here today
with Operations Manager Joey Falaschi.
Thank you for being with us.
- Yeah, thank you for being here.
So tell me, how long have you been here at Georgetown Morgue?
- This will be my 10th season here with the Georgetown Morgue.
- And what does operations manager do, exactly?
- I do anything from walk around, help people
that are scared out of the haunt,
maintain the haunt, and, pretty much
help my staff do whatever they need to do
to get the job done.
- And how many people does it take to to get this job done?
- It takes about 50 a night to get everything rolling.
- Wow, well, would you mind taking us on a tour of behind the scenes
to see how it all happens?
Absolutely. Let's go.
Perfect.
- What exactly does
it take to put on an operation like this?
- Well, it takes a few months
of planning our route, seeing
how we're going to build our scenes,
and then after that, you know, executing it.
Lighting, sound,
- 50 people.
- Yeah. It does.
And how many people do you have in each season?
We have about 25 actors in the scenes
each season, as you can see
like we have different doors through this back hallway.
And we'll let us into our scenes and out of our scenes
so we can move seamlessly through scenes
and get each person through the haunted house.
- And then how many people come visit the Morgue?
I would say about 40,000 a year, give or take the season.
40,000? Yeah, within a couple months. Yeah.
40,000? Within a couple months? Yeah.
- Yeah.
Within about 23 days.
- That's a lot of people.
- Absolutely.
- Rumor has it that there's ghosts that reside here.
Is that true?
- Yeah.
We've definitely had some props
in the haunted house that we'll go off without power or air.
- So they just go?
- Yeah.
And, we couldn't get it to stop,
so we actually had to take out the prop.
Still in that area.
We have a lot of shifting and moving, but
there's not a prop in there to work with.
- Is that kind of scary to work here?
-It is when you're all alone.
Sometimes it's nice to have a co-part in the building with you.
- Yeah, and this used to be an actual morgue?
- Yes.
So we do have a full history
online of how the morgue came to be.
And now we're entering our costume room.
We've got a lot of masks and costumes
to work with here for our makeup artist.
- Where the magic happens.
- Exactly. In fact, would you like to get into a costume?
- Sure.
Why not?
(♪♪)
- Would you like to be a cannibal today?
- Oh, that sounds good.
Here we go. Is it happening?
Am I looking scarier?
- Do you want to scare people?
- Ummmmm... the whole shebang!
- Do some
highlights first, just to bring it out and then
probably a little color work.
(♪♪)
We do have people who wear masks as well,
so that can help alleviate
some of that time that we take
for the makeup.
But yeah, we spend a good two hours
before the show
to do all the makeups in the cast.
- Close your eyes. It's like spa.
- Munching Mona.
The Morgue Maniac!
(♪♪)
- For our next story,
Lakeview Cemetery, one of Seattle's oldest resting places,
holds Bruce Lee's grave and other historic names.
Vanishing Seattle tours
the site, uncovering forgotten stories
beneath the tombstones.
Producer Randy Eng has more.
Thanks so much for coming to the Lakeview Cemetery walk.
(♪♪)
- We are focusing a bit on some
of the lesser known and under sung residents.
You know, there's a lot of famous folks here,
Denny’s, the Yeslers’...
But we wanted
to also talk about some history
that people may not be as familiar with.
So Japanese American history, black pioneers, early madams and sex workers.
So yeah, just give us a little bit more of,
hopefully diversity, in like a colorful picture.
- Matajiro Tsukuno started the first Japanese owned bank in Seattle.
He helped construct the Nippon Kan Theater, which is still there.
William Grose, a black pioneer in Seattle
and the second black resident of the city.
This is a gravesite of Princess Angeline.
She was the eldest daughter of Chief Seattle,
and her name in Lushootseed was Kikisoblu.
And Kikisoblu herself was living in a shack like structure in an area
known as shantytown that's on the downward
slope of what is now Pike Place Market.
And growing up in Seattle, some of y'all may have heard, you know,
tales about Princess Angeline haunting the Market.
It's a very unique cemetery, and that it's
the oldest undisturbed burial grounds in Seattle.
And there's some spooky history here, too.
(crows cawing)
- Some say that this cemetery
Is not just haunted by crows, but by Dutch
Ned, who has been wandering around the
cemetery ever since,
looking for his little house.
- These graves with the lambs on them are, children.
- We're going to walk down this way, and you'll notice
that suddenly all of the gravestones turned red.
It's almost like a red road.
- This is the grave of Mary Ann Conklin, who's also known as Madam Damnable.
She ran Felker house, which was Seattle's first hotel,
and had one of the city's first brothels upstairs.
- You can have multiple generations
of family and friends from here,
and I still I didn't know 75% of what they covered today.
- Well, my hope is that people learn something new
about the history and the people who came before us.
In the grand scheme of things, like it really wasn't ancient history
that we're talking about.
The people, the topics of trees are very much still relevant to Seattle today,
not vanishing. (laughs)
Yes. (crows cawing)
- To explore Vanishing Seattle
and experience all the tours and events they offer
visit VanishingSeattle.org.
Thank you. Haley, you did a wonderful job.
- Absolutely.
- We are the everyday storytellers of this great city.
We are Seattle Channel, a gateway to everything
Seattle.
The intersection between government, culture, news
and the ever unfolding story of the city we call home.
So follow your curiosity and come explore
Seattle with us.
(♪♪)
Seattle Channel.
(♪♪)
- That wraps up
this edition of CityStream from the Georgetown Morgue.
As you can see, the talented costume
bringing my character to life.
To watch more Award-Winning programing,
go to SeattleChannel.org
and search for feature shows.
I'm Mona Locke, or rather, now I'm Munching Mona.
Hahahahahahaha. Thanks for watching.
(♪♪)
- Hehehehe. No.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
How's that? Better?