In the late 19th century, Henry Howard Holmes erected the ominous “murder hotel” in Chicago — a building that looked more like a labyrinth of horror than a place to stay. The ingenious criminal constantly changed contractors during construction, ensuring that only he knew the true layout, with secret passages and deadly traps. Under his roof, both unsuspecting guests and employees vanished; he would force the latter to take out insurance before hiring them — a fatal condition that became a death sentence for many.

Behind the hotel’s walls lay a true arsenal of torture: soundproof rooms, gas chambers, acid baths, and even devices for torment. After the murders, Holmes dismembered the bodies and turned them into anatomical exhibits, selling skeletons to medical institutions. At trial, before his execution, he confessed to 27 murders, but researchers believe the true scale of his crimes was far more terrifying — the number of victims may have exceeded 200.