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Looking for a room in Indianapolis? Stay with Freddy, Jason and Beetlejuice — if you dare

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Looking for a room in Indianapolis? Stay with Freddy, Jason and Beetlejuice — if you dare


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Typically, you don’t want to think about murder when staying at an Airbnb. Those noises you hear at night are just the rumblings of an unfamiliar home. Probably.

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But for one unique Fountain Square rental, horror-movie scenarios are part of the appeal.

For more than a year, Dennis Brackenridge has poured his time and money into nailing the details on a property much different than the 100 or so he owns around the city.

“I might have spent $1 million on this place,” Brackenridge said. “I’m at the point in my career where I just want to have fun.”

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For a half-century before Brackenridge purchased the building at 1122 Shelby St., the space was known for true, real horror.

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It was a dental office.

“We found people’s teeth still in here when we got the place,” Brackenridge recalled.

He gutted the building with dual goals in mind: A short-term rental home based around classic and modern horror films, and an adjoining café themed around the same.

Black House Café and new Airbnb reach Indy’s horror fans

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Black House Café opened last month, with drinks like the Never Sleep Again (an almond-milk horchata and espresso mix) and the Booberry (a banana and blueberry smoothie). Its detailed horror décor — fake newspaper clippings, a Jigsaw doll, a “Gremlins”-themed bathroom complete with a life-sized gremlin prop — quickly became a popular Instagram haunt.

A giant mural featuring the nearby Fountain Square Theatre façade and Brackenridge’s children fleeing Freddy Kreuger points the way to “dreams and coffee.”

But on the other side of the building, subtler and uncanny paintings of Norman Bates and Brackenridge in full Bates Motel bellhop garb welcome prospective guests to the rental space.

Another themed rental option: Immersive ‘Stranger Things’-themed suite turns a Bloomington hotel into the Upside Down

Sleeping among killers like Dracula and Freddy Krueger

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The makeshift home features three bedrooms, themed after “Friday the 13th,” “Scream” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and two-and-a-half bathrooms, with “Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Dracula” and an immaculate “Ghostbusters.”

Local muralist Pamela Bliss, who painted the Kurt Vonnegut and Reggie Miller murals, worked on the building’s exterior. Graffiti artist Slice painted the interior, which includes a massive Beetlejuice in snake form along the living room and a perfect Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the “Ghostbusters” bathroom.

A large wooden and repurposed metal dining room table was made locally, as was a coffin-shaped cabinet. Brackenridge and his team spent months stocking the place with much smaller details, as well: A realistic mask of Beetlejuice’s head, Camp Crystal Lake pillows, a succulent planter shaped like Chucky.

Brackenridge had originally planned to convert the space into some sort of 4-D interactive movie theater but pivoted to the horror themed rental and café. He is also planning a gangster-themed café in Irvington, with Bliss on board to paint a John Dillinger mural.

More: John Dillinger’s signed confession detailing holdup attempt nabs big bucks at auction

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The rental will be available for $275 per weekday and $345 per weekend day, with a two-night minimum. It will host a free open house from noon to 3 p.m. on Jan. 20, and reservations officially open on Jan. 22. Brackenridge recommends booking directly through Instagram at @indys_fletcherplace_experience, but it will be available through Airbnb and other services.

Future plans to enhance, expand rental and café

Brackenridge is also working on a rooftop patio for the rental unit, but it won’t be ready for this month’s launch.

Black House Café will also expand its indoor seating area. Manager Mari Ramirez Reyes said she and Brackenridge originally conceived of it as a walk-up space, but the unique look has lent to folks sitting around awhile.

“It has been wild,” Ramirez Reyes said. “People love the theme and the vibe. We didn’t know it would be so popular.”

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Brackenridge hopes access to the café and Fountain Square draws like the Hi-Fi will add to his rental’s appeal. But the plan is to lean into the niche horror audience.

“It really breaks up the monotony,” Brackenridge said. “You are definitely not at home.”

Looking for things to do? Our newsletter has the best concerts, art, shows and more — and the stories behind them

Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryEHAppleton.





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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis Democrat Andrea Hunley to seek bid for mayor’s job in 2027

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Indianapolis Democrat Andrea Hunley to seek bid for mayor’s job in 2027


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State Sen. Andrea Hunley, a Democrat representing Indianapolis, has announced her candidacy for a bid to run for mayor of Indianapolis in 2027.

Hunley, who had previously teased a mayoral run, has scheduled a launch event for May 8 as her official kickoff her campaign to lead the city, said her campaign website. The Assistant Minority Leader in the Senate announced in January that she would not seek another term in the Indiana Senate, to which she was elected in 2022.

Hunley’s website says, “Indianapolis is my city. Our city. As someone who knows this city, someone who has served this community as a public school teacher leading our children and supporting families, I am committed to the future of the people of Indianapolis.

“Indianapolis is the economic driver and a key cultural hub for our state. Our city boasts creative entrepreneurs and long-standing local businesses, vibrant neighborhoods and corporate headquarters, community-centered nonprofits and public schools. I aim to champion a better quality of life by listening to and working alongside the people, businesses and neighborhoods that make up our great city.”

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Mayor Joe Hogsett has not disclosed if he’s seeking a fourth four-year term.

City-County Council Member Vop Osili in January announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination.

In the same month, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination to run for mayor. She’s running this year to continue in the trustee’s job, which she has held since 2019.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who had been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for mayor, announced in January he would seek another four-year term this year for his current job. However, he did not rule out running for the Democratic bid for mayor in 2027.

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Louisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500

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Louisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500


LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – While Louisville is famous for one race in May, a Derby City native is set to make his first appearance in a different iconic May race.

Jacob Abel will be making his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, racing for Abel Motorsports, founded by his father, Bill Abel.

“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” Jacob said.

Both Abels, the driver and the team, had breakout years in 2024 with three pole positions and three wins in the INDY NXT drivers’ championship, propelling the 25-year-old driver to the NTT INDYCAR Series the following year.

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Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday, May 12 with qualifying being held on May 16 and May 17. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway goes green on May 24, coverage begins at 10 a.m.

Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.



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IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis

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IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.

Photo of IMPD investigating a stabbing at the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets on April 19, 2026, captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew.

IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.

Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”

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IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.

“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”

Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.

Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.

Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.

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Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.

Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.

Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.

“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”

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