Ripley’s Believe It or Not more family friendly, still creepy

After undergoing a $3.5-million makeover, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not exhibit in Hollywood celebrated its reopening Thursday with a more family-friendly atmosphere.

But the tourist attraction still has plenty of creepiness, said general manager Andrea Silverman.

Gone are the torture chamber artifacts, she said. But visitors can still see shrunken heads, a 5,000-year-old mummified foot and a vampire killing kit, Silverman said. The attraction has also added dozens of Marilyn Monroe artifacts, including clothes and shoes.

“The scary and dark stuff is gone,” she added.

The attraction had been struggling to attract tourists over the last couple of years, particularly in the midst of the recession. But Silverman said the new exhibits should be well received by visitors.

Among the new attractions are a motorcycle made of candy, a scale model of Minas Tirith, the fictional city featured in the movie “The Return of the King,” made entirely of match sticks, and a picture of actress Angelina Jolie that mysteriously transforms into a picture of her husband Brad Pitt.

“It’s a completely new show,” she said.

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