The six-chamber exhibition explores gothic, psychological, science, slasher, religion, and ghost horror before releasing visitors through the immersive Blood Room.
Los Angeles, CA — The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will open a major new horror-cinema exhibition, The Horror Show, on September 26, 2026, in its fourth-floor Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery. The exhibition will run through July 25, 2027, and will be accompanied by a slate of screenings and events including a John Carpenter retrospective, a goth-themed Halloween after-hours party, and a 50th-anniversary Carrie screening with Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek.
The Horror Show is the museum’s sixth large-scale exhibition in its flagship gallery, following Hayao Miyazaki, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971, John Waters: Pope of Trash, Color in Motion, and the current Jaws: The Exhibition, which closes July 26, 2026.
“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, who is leading the exhibition. “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.”
Six chambers of horror
The exhibition organizes horror cinema across six thematic “chambers,” each with its own physical set treatment:
- Gothic: A shadowed crypt setting with the Academy Collection’s recently restored cape worn by Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931). Objects from Blade (1998), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Horror of Dracula (1958), The Hunger (1983), and Sinners (2025) also feature.
- Psychological: A stark clinical space with concept art for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), original Psycho (1960) storyboards, and props and costumes from The Babadook, Get Out, Misery, The Shining, and The Silence of the Lambs.
- Science: A laboratory setting focused on Frankenstein adaptations, Alien (1979), The Fly (1986), The Substance (2024), The Thing (1982), and an original mask from Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).
- Slasher: The killer’s home, with fully costumed figures of Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Ghostface, and Art the Clown. A cabinet of masks and weapons anchors the room, with objects from The Black Phone, Halloween (1978), It (2017), M3GAN, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Peeping Tom, Saw, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
- Religion: A witches’ circle centered on the witch as a symbol of collective female strength, with costumes from Hellraiser (2022), Midsommar, Sinners, Suspiria (2018), and Weapons (2025), plus objects from Eve’s Bayou, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Tales from the Hood, and historical documents from the Salem witch trials.
- Ghosts: A haunted living room where visitors can surf the original marketing website for The Blair Witch Project (1999). Objects from The Conjuring, The Monkey (2025), Poltergeist, The Ring, and Talk to Me feature alongside historic Japanese woodblock prints and 1960s and ’70s Japanese theatrical release posters.
The only exit from the exhibition is through The Blood Room, an immersive final space with gallery walls layered in cinematic gore.
The exhibition contains elements the museum warns may trigger seizures for visitors with photosensitive epilepsy, and parental guidance is advised.
Willem Dafoe and Osgood Perkins among advisors
The Horror Show’s advisory team includes four-time Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe, filmmaker Osgood Perkins, documentary filmmaker Ariel Baska, Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup artist Howard Berger, author and filmmaker Tananarive Due, and film scholar Angela Marie Smith.
“Cinema in general engages your sense of wonder, but horror can explode it,” Dafoe said in the announcement. “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.”
Perkins framed the exhibition as a cultural throughline. “Horror is crucial to culture and cinema, and to our evolving understanding of what it means to be alive on earth,” he said.
Zombies! runs as a family-friendly companion
A smaller, family-friendly exhibition, Zombies!, will run in the adjacent Warner Bros. Gallery for the same window, September 26 through July 25, 2027. Zombies! is set in an interactive educational space and explores how filmmakers create the images of the undead audiences recognize on screen, and where zombie stories originate. Curatorial Assistant Alexandra James Salichs is curating.
Companion film series and events
The Academy Museum is running a full slate of programming to accompany the exhibition:
- John Carpenter: Prince of Darkness film retrospective (September 26 through October 25), opening with Halloween (1978) on September 26, They Live (1988) on September 27, and Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) on September 28. Tickets go on sale to members August 17 and to the public August 18.
- Monster Mash 2026 on October 24, an all-ages vampire-themed day featuring special-effects makeup demonstrations, a US premiere of the 4K restoration of Horror of Dracula (1958), plus screenings of Blade (1998) and Hotel Transylvania (2012). Free with general admission, with separate tickets required for screenings.
- Museum After Dark on October 31, a goth-themed adults-only after-hours event with cocktails, tarot readings, and a screening of The Craft (1996). 21 and over.
- Carrie with Sissy Spacek on November 19, a 50th-anniversary screening of Brian De Palma’s Carrie with a conversation with Sissy Spacek. Members tickets August 17, public August 18.
- A celebration of Hammer Films in January 2027, a 10-film retrospective of newly restored Hammer titles. Hammer is a leadership supporter of the exhibition and is undertaking a program of 4K restorations under John Gore Studios ownership.
Publication, merchandise, and about
A publication co-produced by the Academy Museum and DelMonico, illustrated with concept art, film stills, and behind-the-scenes production photos, will be available in September. Exclusive merchandise, including apparel, toys, collectibles, and books, will be sold at academymuseumstore.org.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is described by its operator as the largest museum in the world devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. It occupies the restored historic Saban Building (formerly the 1939 May Company building) with a spherical addition by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano. The museum is open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additional exhibition information and tickets are available at [academymuseum.org](https://www.academy
