Loveland's 1920 silent-movie house where projectionist Clarence Herrin died mid-reel in 1957 — and where his ghost still reportedly haunts the projection booth
228 E 4th St, Loveland, CO 80537
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticket prices vary by event; ghost tour tickets sold separately when offered
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic downtown theater; ground floor accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1920 · Loveland historic downtown · Silent-film era Colorado theater · Community-restored historic venue
The Rialto Theater opened in Loveland in May 1920, built to serve as a silent movie palace during the height of the silent-film era. It operated continuously for decades, transitioning through the sound era and into television-age cinema before the economics of single-screen operation became difficult. The theater closed for a period and reopened in 1995 following community-driven restoration efforts, by which point it had become a civic landmark.
On October 8, 1957, projectionist Clarence Herrin suffered a fatal heart attack inside the projection booth while threading the final reel of the film 'Island in the Sun.' Herrin's death is the most precisely documented event in the theater's paranormal record: KUNC and Colorado Daily both confirmed the date, the specific film, and the cause of death in their coverage of the Rialto's centennial anniversary programming. The projection booth has been the primary site of paranormal reports in the years since.
The theater's folklore also includes a story of a vaudeville performer who died in a basement dressing room during her debut, known in local tradition as 'Heartbreak Mary,' and an account of a construction worker killed when scaffolding collapsed during the 1920 build. Neither of these two accounts has been verified against historical records in the available sources, in contrast to the Herrin death, which is documented by name, date, and specific circumstance.
Sources
The projection booth is the focal point of the Rialto's paranormal tradition. Since Clarence Herrin's October 1957 death there, staff and visitors have described unexplained sounds from the booth when no projectionist is present, sensations of being watched from above during performances, and equipment behaving unexpectedly without mechanical explanation. The specificity of the documented death — name, date, film title — distinguishes the Herrin account from most theatrical haunting legends.
Local tradition adds two other figures to the Rialto's ghost roster. 'Heartbreak Mary' is described as a vaudeville performer who died in a basement dressing room on the night of her debut performance, though the available sources do not document her real name or the specific date. A construction worker is said to have been killed when scaffolding collapsed during the theater's 1920 construction; this account also lacks documentary confirmation in the sources reviewed.
The theater ran 'Ghost Tales: Historic Rialto Tours' as part of its programming, and its centennial in 2020 included ghost tour events documented by KUNC. The Colorado Daily's coverage of the 2021 Festival of Frights at the Rialto corroborated the 'Heartbreak Mary' legend's currency in local tradition without verifying the historical claim behind it.
Notable Entities
The Rialto ran a 'Ghost Tales: Historic Rialto Tours' program documenting the theater's paranormal history. Check the venue website for current ghost tour availability, particularly around October.
The Rialto Theater Center hosts live performances, films, and events in its century-old auditorium. Performances bring visitors into the space where the theater's paranormal tradition — centered on the projection booth — began with Clarence Herrin's 1957 death.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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