Academy Museum Opens Horror Show Exhibit With Dracula Cape, Slasher Icons
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles opens The Horror Show on Saturday, a survey of costumes, props, drawings, posters and other artefacts from horror cinema, according to Variety. The exhibition runs through July 25, 2027.
It is curated by Jessica Niebel under museum director Amy Homma. The show is organised into six galleries named Gothic, Psychological, Science, Slasher, Religion and Ghosts, with themed chambers devoted to slashers, religion, ghosts and science.
The oldest object is a star piece. Bela Lugosi’s cape from the 1931 film Dracula sits in the same show as Gary Oldman’s armour from 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, alongside posters for Blacula and Horror of Dracula.
Later horror gets equal space. The line-up includes the Hannibal Lecter costume from The Silence of the Lambs, an alien bust from John Carpenter’s They Live, and figures representing Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Chucky. Recent films are present too, with Aunt Gladys’ pantsuit from Weapons and materials from Sinners, Get Out, Midsommar and The Babadook.
The museum wants visitors to step inside the genre. There are photo opportunities including a coffin and a selfie with Mrs. Bates from Psycho. Visitors leave through a blood room. Expect blood.
For younger visitors, there is a gentler route. A companion display titled Zombies! accompanies the main show with less gore, according to Variety.
Film screenings will run alongside the objects. The Academy will open that programme with an appearance by Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter for Halloween, followed by a Carpenter retrospective.
For fans, this means a rare chance to see nine decades of horror craft in one place, from hand-drawn designs to screen-worn costumes.
Practically, the show sits on Level 4 in the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, according to the Academy Museum. Members got a first look at a preview on Friday, September 25, starting at 10am. The museum also lists 30-minute guided Horror Tours from Thursdays through Sundays at 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm, according to the Academy Museum.
