Like a scene torn straight out of Coraline, the limited Bug Lab exhibit at the Perot Museum in Dallas succeeds at creeping out its audience while keeping it captivated. Developed by the Academy Award-winning Wētā Workshop of New Zealand’s Te Papa museum, the Perot will host Bug Lab from June 8, 2025 to January 4, 2026 visitors can experience for $50 (including general admission and parking).

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is known for its extravagant and often interactive exhibits, with everything from musical stairs to an earthquake simulator, so it’s no surprise that the Perot were pouncing on the chance to host the Bug Lab exhibit.

“People who are coming in are going to have an opportunity to not just learn about the insects but really appreciate them and what they do,” said Dr. Linda Silver, CEO of the museum, in an interview with CBS Texas.

The entomologists and exhibition designers make their goal clear, as stated on the Perot website, to “invite visitors to discover how bugs’ extraordinary adaptations inspire cutting edge human innovation.” This is further elaborated in their display showing how a butterfly’s wings are being used as inspiration for banknote designs. This is seen in the shiny strips on bills of higher value, modeled after those butterfly wings.

As if it weren’t enough, the Perot tops off the exhibit with large models of insects accompanied with music and moody lighting. Meant to give one the viewpoint of an insect, it allows the visitor to have a heightened understanding of a bug’s day-to-day life.

“They made things that are normally quite small to the human eye look much bigger, giving you a new perspective,” tech theater student, Kaylie Ross, 10 said.

A departure from traditional museum exhibits, Bug Lab will entrance and scare in equal measure. Its macabre design is enough to engage anyone, fan of horror or not, with enough creepy crawlies to last a lifetime. Or at least until the show flits away on January 4.