Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to Open Major Horror Exhibition in September

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles will open The Horror Show on September 26, 2026, a major exhibition exploring horror cinema’s history, cultural impact and enduring appeal. Costumes, props and other artifacts from films including Dracula, Halloween, Get Out, Midsommar, Poltergeist and The Exorcist will be displayed across galleries themed around Gothic, psychological, science, slasher, religion and ghost stories. The installation also includes immersive elements and behind-the-scenes material, while a companion Zombies! exhibit offers a less-gory experience. Curator Jessica Niebel says horror reflects the anxieties of its time while giving audiences a safe way to confront what frightens them. The exhibition runs through July 25, 2027, with horror-film screenings planned alongside it.
The exhibition begins with a sound installation and a horror-trope-inspired hallway leading into its galleries; visitors can also explore a pretend cemetery designed to show how filmmakers create on-screen zombies, including through behind-the-scenes footage from 28 Days Later.
The screening program is set to open with Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter appearing for Halloween, followed by a Carpenter retrospective.
Curator Jessica Niebel said there has recently been “a movement to invest more in horror films,” and offered her personal view that the genre will “continue to thrive for a while longer.”
Among the featured artifacts are Bela Lugosi’s original cape from the 1931 Dracula and Aunt Gladys’ pantsuit from Weapons.
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