Academy Museum Unveils 'The Horror Show' Horror Exhibit — SkimNews
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- The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens The Horror Show Saturday in Los Angeles, running through July 25, 2027, with costumes, props, drawings, and posters from iconic horror films across cinema history.
- Curator Jessica Niebel framed the exhibit around the question "Why do horror films mean so much to so many people?", arguing horror "gives us a safe space to confront" the anxieties of its time.
- Museum director Amy Homma noted horror spans "from vampires to slashers to thrillers," with the exhibit organized into themed chambers covering slashers, religion, ghosts, and science.
- Artifacts on display span Bela Lugosi's original cape from 1931's "Dracula" and Gary Oldman's armor from 1992's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" to Billy the Puppet from "Saw," the "Poltergeist" clown doll, and a Pennywise bust from "It."
- Recent horror titles featured alongside classics include "Sinners," "Get Out," "Midsommar," "The Babadook," and Aunt Gladys' pantsuit from "Weapons," with Robert Englund on hand at the preview to welcome guests.
- Interactive elements include a selfie station with Mrs. Bates from "Psycho," a coffin photo op, a vintage VHS living room simulation, and an exit through an eerie "blood room."
- A horror film screening series kicks off with Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter appearing for "Halloween," followed by a Carpenter retrospective, while a companion "Zombies!" exhibit offers a less gory option for younger visitors.
Why it matters: The Academy Museum's first major horror-centric survey, running through July 2027 — a nearly two-year commitment — signals institutional confidence that the genre merits the kind of long-form, artifact-rich treatment typically reserved for prestige retrospectives on drama and sci-fi.
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