In the heart of the capital, the Manoir de Paris brings macabre legends and criminal stories from the past back to life. A place to go for Halloween or at any time that provides a scary experience for old and young alike.
[ Practical ]
Le Manoir de Paris
18 rue de Paradis
75010 Paris
Opening dates and hours
Friday from 6pm to 10pm.
Saturday and Sunday from 3pm to 7pm.
Open till 10pm for Halloween and school holidays.
Guided tours for children on Wednesday during school holidays
Admission fees
Adults : €25
10 to 15 years old children : €20
For Halloween : €27 for adults and children.
Information
www.lemanoirdeparis.com
The Manoir de Paris. This name probably doesn’t ring a bell to you but it might soon become synonym of place to go to experience scary sensations. It’s indeed the first haunted house opened in Paris, a type of attraction common in Anglo-Saxon countries but rare outside theme parks in Europe and in France.
Half haunted house, half horror museum, the Manoir de Paris occupies a late 19th century former earthenware factory shop.
 Gloomy atmosphere
Listed as an historical monument, this building boasts a façade adorned with painted ceramics and its quite unusual architectural style fits perfectly its new function.
As soon as you enter the inner courtyard of the building, actors playing bloody characters with mad expressions hang around you while you are buying tickets and waiting your turn to get in giving you a glimpse of what is waiting for you inside. In order to preserve the mysterious and gloomy atmosphere of the place, admission to the dark bowels of the Manoir de Paris is indeed only done in small groups. From two or three persons when there is no queue up to a maximum of ten. Once inside, visitors go through 23 rooms split over two levels where are recreated thirteen legends and real criminal facts of the history of the French capital. The phantom of the Opera.
Vampires, murderers, ghosts,…
The Iron Mask, a mysterious prisoner who died at the Bastille prison in 1703. The necrophilic man who – in the 40s - desecrated tombs and mutilated bodies of young ladies in various cemetaries. Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre-Dame. The 14th century bloody baker who made pies stuffed with human flesh. The crocodiles living in the sewers of the city. Gargoyles and chimeras of Notre-Dame cathedral said to come to life at night to scare away evil spirits. A noble Frenchman transformed into a vampire, one of the best known characters of American Anne Rice’s novel “Vampire Chronicles. The Assassin’s Cabaret, name once given to Montmartre cabaret “Le Lapin Agile” because it was a meeting place of thieves and murderers. Philibert Aspairt, gatekeeper of the Val de Grace convent who got lost and died in the catacombs in the 18th century.
Scary creatures jumping out in front of you
Laetitia Taureaux, a young woman killed in the Paris metro on 1937 whose murder was never found. The Bloody Ghost of the Tuileries Gardens that is said to still haunt the gardens. The Library of 14th – 15th alchemist Nicolas Flamel said to have discovered the Philosopher’s Stone transforming base metals into precious gold.
Nice and realistic settings boasting a wide range of macabre details bring back to life these stories and create a creepy atmosphere enhanced by low lighting providing you with just enough light to witness the terror occurring in front of you but not enough to tell whether someone—or something—is lurking around the next corner. In this case automatons and about fifteen very well disguised actors playing the scary creatures who are the main characters of these stories and jump out in front of you when and from where you least expect it.
Not for the squeamish
Sniggering in a sinister manner, whining or screaming, the face distorted by scars, wounds and grins, they brush past you, turn around you without touching you and adapt to everyone’s reactions.
Depending on the people, it takes from 30 to 45 mn to go through all rooms and for most of the participants it’s not only a fun stroll but also and above all a scary experience. So, the visit is neither for the squeamish nor recommended for children under the age of ten. However, on Wednesday there are guided tours led by a storyteller especially aimed at young kids. On request, it is also possible to have the visit in English. Lastly, on some occasion like Halloween, the Manoir de Paris increases the number of performers playing monsters and offers additional activities such as games, quizz and sculpted pumpkin contest.
September 21, 2015
Thierry Joly 
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