I’m used to browsing stores. I’m less used to passing a life-size Demogorgon while doing it. Ghoulish Mortals, a year-round horror shop in St. Charles opened by Dove Thiselton and Warwick Price in 2018, unfolds like a haunted house. The couple were regulars at similar stores while living in Southern California and spent more than a year building their own here. There’s plenty to inspect before you ever reach a price tag: a mad-scientist lab, creepy carnival, and blood-spattered hospital, with the scenery growing less kid friendly as you go.
The merchandise is worked right into the sets, much of it made by artists. California illustrator Bob Lizarraga puts a sly spin on classic monsters, including a Frankenstein clutching a bouquet of daisies, while a North Carolina artist known as the Pickety Witch turns occult imagery and folkloric creatures into intricate enamel pins and jewelry. Elsewhere, you’ll find sculptures and oddball props alongside art riffing on Stranger Things, Evil Dead, and Alien. Brad Albright’s old-school 3D prints even come with red-and-blue glasses; put them on and the monsters seem to follow you right off the wall. The hard part is deciding which monster gets to come home with you. 228 W. Main St., St. Charles
Kelly Aiglon is a freelance writer and contributing Found editor for Chicago magazine.
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