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The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will debut an extensive new exhibition called The Horror Show, devoted to the art and craft of horror movies. Film retrospectives tied to the exhibit include a 50th anniversary
screening of “Carrie” with Sissy Spacek and the John Carpenter: Prince of Darkness series.
The 10-month-long exhibit debuts Sept. 26 in the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery on the Los Angeles museum’s fourth floor.
The exhibition, which runs through July 25, 2027, will feature six themed chambers revolving around themes such as Gothic, Slasher, Ghosts and Religion. Rare original props, costumes, production materials and interactive displays will explore “why people love to be scared at the movies and how filmmakers satisfy that desire,” according to the museum.
Willem Dafoe and Osgood Perkins serve on the advisory team for the exhibit. Dafoe said in a statement, “Cinema in general engages your sense of wonder, but horror can explode it. It is a popular form, born of modest financial resources and with a strong, lasting independent streak. And it has all the same possibilities for originality, inventiveness, and freedom that it did in its infancy.”
“Horror is crucial to culture and cinema, and to our evolving understanding of what it means to be alive on earth,” said Perkins. “I couldn’t think of a bigger or better celebration of the films and stories that have impacted audiences so profoundly and for so long. There is something for every horror fan to appreciate and enjoy in this exhibition, a hallway of limitless doors to be opened and explored.”
Public programs and film screenings include John Carpenter: Prince of Darkness; the 2026 Monster Mash on Oct. 24 featuring the U.S. premiere of the 4K restoration of 1958’s “Horror of Dracula”; a Halloween night screening of “The Craft,” Spacek appearing in person on Nov. 19 for the “Carrie” 50th anniversary screening and a January series on Hammer films.
“Our teams have done a phenomenal job creating an immersive and thrilling journey through the history of horror films, making an exhibition that is both emotional and experiential,” said Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Academy Collection, Amy Homma. “Along with our amazing programming teams, we have selected a variety of film and educational programming to accompany the exhibition that is sure to excite all types of horror fans.”
“The Horror Show is an exploration of horror’s emotional, cultural, and symbolic power and examines why horror matters so deeply to many different types of communities,” said Senior Exhibitions Curator Jessica Niebel. “We are excited to celebrate the daring creativity of horror cinema with devoted fans and curious newcomers alike, inviting audiences to confront what frightens us — and discover why we keep coming back for more.”
An adjacent interactive exhibit called Zombies! will be more family-friendly than the gorier Horror Show exhibition. Films covered in The Horror Show exhibit include “Get Out,” “The Hunger,” “Sinners,” “The Shining,” original storyboards from “Psycho,” a mask from “Creature of the Black Lagoon,” costumes from “Midsommar” and costumed figures of Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Ghostface and Art the Clown.
