NARRAGANSETT, RI (WPRI) – Corinne Adams is a big fan of the “Harry Potter” movies. That’s why she and her husband turned their basement into Knockturn Alley, a notorious shopping area in the book and movie series that catered to dark magic enthusiasts.
“We tried to be as precise as possible and to reduce it for this small space,” Adams said of the eerily precise recreation.
Adams, from Narragansett, Rhode Island, became addicted to Harry Potter after watching “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
“I hadn’t read the books yet,” she 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 float around the Great Hall… that was it.
Adams said her husband, who works as an entrepreneur, was not a fan until the couple visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida more than six years ago.
“That’s where it all started,” Adams said. “As soon as he saw all the buildings and gadgets, he decided to improve our Halloween.”
Adams never imagined his basement would turn into one of his favorite scenes on the show, complete with self-stirring cauldrons, spooky knick-knacks and wanted posters with moving images — just like in the series. movies.
“It’s the driveway they only show for a moment in the movie, and that’s what I loved,” she said. “It’s scary and mysterious.”
Adams is most proud of their replica Borgin and Burkes, an antique store with a dubious reputation.
“It contains a lot of interesting and nefarious elements,” she explained. “There are a ton of little details that if you take your time and look…you’ll find some amazing things.”
Building Knockturn Alley, she said, was “a fun challenge” for her and her husband.
“It was a good way to clean up the basement,” she added.
Still, she insists it’s not done.
“We still have a few little things to tweak,” she said. “It’s just going to get better with age as we keep adding little things here and there.”
When asked what Harry Potter (or actor Daniel Radcliffe) might think of his basement, Adams hoped he’d be amazed by the attention to detail.
“I think [he] would love the fact that an owner, just a normal person who loves history, would go to such lengths,” she said.
Adams and her husband plan to open the basement to Harry Potter fans in their neighborhood on Halloween. But she is equally proud to have such a unique basement all year round.
“I have to cross here to get to my laundry room,” she said with a smile. “I love it.”
