The Horror Show exhibit features over 100+ detailed props, masks, polaroid’s and more!
Walking into a Horror wonderland curated by The Academy Museum isn’t something you get to experience every day and today I had the immense pleasure of previewing “The Horror Show”
“Just in time for Halloween 2026, the Academy Museum will unveil The Horror Show, a bold and immersive exhibition that bridges the gap between cinema and experience, honoring horror’s enormous cultural impact and enduring popularity.”
With no expectations in mind except that there would be some SERIOUS history happening all around me, I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to experience. The exhibit opened with Robert Englund speaking about the importance of horror and how it has impacted not only him but also so many people along the way, including Wes Craven.
He recounted a story about his childhood during a sleepover with friends, when they watched ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ for the first time at the ripe age of 12. From there, he introduced the Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Academy Collection, Amy Homma, who gave us a brief background on what The Horror Show would entail. She then brought out Senior Exhibitions Curator, Jessica Niebel, who gave us the incredible exhibit you will get to experience yourself.
You can easily find yourself spending hours inside this exhibit, soaking up the grand history found in these dark halls filled with rich history and concept art that you never knew existed. If we weren’t given 2 hours to cover everything we possibly needed, I could have easily stayed all night taking in all the history, storyboards, and screen-used costumes that have been used in some of my favorite and new-to-me horror movies that I have now added to my Letterboxd watchlist to enjoy.
Each “chamber” leads you into a different genre: Gothic, Psychological, Science, Slasher, Religion, and Ghosts. Now I won’t spoil the entire exhibit because, for one, there’s just TOO much to discuss in great detail, and trust me, I want to. But I will share some of my favorite pieces that were incredible to be near. Bela Lugosi’s screen-used cape from ‘Dracula’ to the prop corpse of Catherine Deneuve from ‘The Hunger’
My personal favorite part of the exhibit was the amount of behind-the-scenes photos, promo material, and the recreation of a desktop computer that was running Windows 98 to display the original website for ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ I’m sure I just aged a lot of you after having vivid flashbacks of visiting that website and pouring hours into each link, photo, video, and interview that has us believing these 3 college students disappeared.
While I want to continue gushing about the amount of love and passion that went into this exhibit, I also want you to experience it for yourself and bask in the glory that is Horror. If you’re a fan of classic horror or are just getting into the genre and need some inspiration for what to watch next, this is the perfect place for you to discover your next favorite movie.
The exhibit runs from September 26, 2026–July 25, 2027 at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California.
Courtesy of: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
