Corinne Adams and her husband have turned the basement of their Narragansett, R.I. home into a replica of Knockturn Alley from “Harry Potter.” Adams’ love for the series came after the first time she watched “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” a film adaptation of the wildly popular book of the same name.
“I hadn’t read the books yet,” Adams admitted. “But the first time I saw it, I was a fan. I love Halloween, and when [Harry Potter] walks into Hogwarts and the pumpkins are floating in the Great Hall … that was it.”
Her husband however took a bit longer to come around to the Potter fandom. But 6 years ago they took a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. “That started it all,” says Adams. “As soon as he saw all of the buildings and the gadgets, he decided to upgrade our Halloween.” Considering her husband also works as a contractor this project was a match made in heaven (or Hogwarts). But she never dreamed her own basement would turn into one of her favorite scenes in the film.
In the “Harry Potter” books and films, Knockturn Alley is a notorious shopping area that caters to those practicing the Dark Arts. “This is the alley that they only show for a heartbeat in the movie, and that’s what I loved about it,” Adams explains. “It’s creepy and mysterious.” Now their basement is a reproduction of this scene complete with self-stirring cauldrons, creepy knickknacks, and moving wanted posters.
One of Adams’ favorite parts of her Knockturn Alley basement is the reproduction of Borgin and Burkes, an antique shop with a questionable reputation. “It’s got a lot of interesting, nefarious items in it,” she said. “There’s a ton of tiny details that if you take your time and look … you’ll find some amazing things.”
It seems those tiny details will probably make this an ongoing project for the couple. “We still have a few things to tweak,” she said. “It’s just going to improve with age as we continue to add little things here and there.” Though they do share the fun with those around them when they open their basement up to the neighborhood each Halloween.
