Waco Hippodrome Theatre

This 1914 theater survived a devastating 1928 production fire that destroyed most of the front half of the original building. The venue has seen over a century of performances, films, and community events, accumulating spirits along the way.

The Waco Hippodrome Theatre opened in February 1914 as the town's crown jewel, welcoming patrons to vaudeville shows, orchestras, and magic acts for just ten cents. Duke Ellington, Fanny Brice, and even Elvis Presley (while stationed at nearby Fort Hood) graced its stage. But the theatre's most permanent performers are the spirits who arrived after a deadly 1928 fire—and never left.

The blaze started in the projection room, where the highly flammable nitrate film ignited and spread with terrifying speed, destroying the entire front of the theater. The exact death toll was never confirmed, but multiple people were trampled in the stampede to escape the inferno. Staff members and audience members who perished in the flames are believed to have remained, their spirits bound to the ornate venue they loved.

A phantom projectionist haunts the booth where the fire began, his shadowy form visible to investigators who have documented his presence on camera. In the theater proper, a phantom family lingers at the edge of the darkness, watching performances that ended nearly a century ago. Faint applause echoes through the auditorium when no one is present, as if the dead still appreciate a good show.

Most charming is the spirit of a little girl who walks up and down the aisles, laughing and singing as if the fire never happened. She has been spotted by countless witnesses over the decades, her joy undiminished by death. Near the concession stand, she reportedly throws popcorn at startled visitors—a playful child ghost who wants to share her eternal movie night.

The theatre shuttered and reopened multiple times before its 2014 revival. Through it all, the ghosts remained, waiting for the curtain to rise again.