The Horror Show Launches at Academy Museum: Costumes and Props From ‘Halloween,’ ‘Saw,’ ‘Poltergeist’ and More

Just in time for the scariest season, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles is unveiling The Horror Show, a major survey of costumes, props, drawings, posters and other artifacts from the most iconic horror films throughout the history of cinema. The exhibit opens Saturday.

From Bela Lugosi’s original cape from the 1931 “Dracula” to Aunt Gladys’ pantsuit from “Weapons,” the exhibit showcases classic and lesser-known films from every era. Beloved characters like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Chucky are represented along with more recent titles such as “Sinners,” “Get Out,” “Midsommar” and “The Babadook.”

“Many different types of films can be considered horror filmmaking, from vampires to slashers to thrillers,” said Academy museum director Amy Homma as she introduced the exhibit Thursday. “Horror has its own filmic history, it’s own origins through literature, culture and art and its own lineage.”

“The Horror Show revolves around a simple question: Why do horror films mean so much to so many people?” said the exhibit’s curator Jessica Niebel. “Horror reflects the anxieties of its time, but it also gives us a safe space to confront those anxieties, to look at the things that frighten us and that we desire.”

The exhibit’s chambers feature themes like slashers, religion, ghosts and science, with several interactive photo ops from a coffin to a chance for a selfie with Mrs. Bates from “Psycho,” and guests exit through an eerie blood room. If that’s all a little too scary for the younger visitors to the museum, an accompanying exhibit called Zombies! goes easier on the gore.

The Academy will screen a robust schedule of horror films to complement the exhibit, kicking off with an appearance by Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter for “Halloween” and a Carpenter retrospective.

The Horror Show will run through July 25, 2027.

• Robert Englund introduces The Horror Show exhibit

  Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englud welcomed guests to preview The Horror Show at the Academy Museum. 

• ‘Weapons’ and ‘Midsommar’

  Costumes from more recent films like “Weapons” and “Midsommar” are included alongside vintage costumes. 

• Count Dracula Armor

  Gary Oldman’s armor from 1992’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”

• Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula cape

  Bela Lugosi’s cape from the 1931 “Dracula”

• ‘The Hunger’

  Catherine Deneuve’s mummified corpse in the 1983 “The Hunger”

• Vintage posters

  Posters of “Blacula” and “Horror of Dracula” are among the many horror posters on view.

• Hannibal Lecter

  Hannibal Lecter costume from “Silence of the Lambs”

• ‘They Live’

  Alien bust from John Carpenter’s “They Live”

• ‘Poltergeist’ clown

  The clown doll from “Poltergeist.”

• Living room VHS

  In a simulation of a vintage living room, museumgoers can sit on a couch and view scary VHS tapes.

• Pennywise

  Pennywise bust from “It.”

• Mrs. Bates

  Museumgoers can take spooky selfies with Mrs. Bates from “Psycho.”

• ‘Frankenstein’

  A model from Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein”

• Xenomorph

  A xenomorph from the “Alien” franchise.

• ‘The Ring’

  The first victim from “The Ring” hides in a closet. 

• ‘The Nun’ and ‘Hellraiser”

  A nun and a cenobite from “Hellraiser”

• Cenobite

  A close-up of the cenobite from the 2022 reboot of “Hellraiser.”

• ‘It’s Alive’

  The mutant baby from “It’s Alive.”

• ‘Saw’

  Billy the puppet from “Saw.”