Just in time for Halloween 2026, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has unveiled The Horror Show, a bold and immersive exhibition that bridges the gap between cinema and experience, honouring horror’s enormous cultural impact and enduring popularity.
Supported by Hammer Films and John Gore Studios, The Horror Show explores and celebrates horror cinema, highlighting select tropes and themes, all centred around the question: Why do horror films matter so deeply to so many?
Blurring the line between museum presentation and eerie spectacle, The Horror Show takes visitors on a journey through cinema, starting with an introductory gallery sound installation, into “The Hallway” – modelled after the common horror trope – that leads to six distinctly themed galleries: Gothic, Psychological, Science, Slasher, Religion, and Ghosts.
Each gallery is designed to invite visitors into iconic settings, where they will encounter their favourite creatures, monsters, and objects from films including: Alien (1979), The Horror of Dracula (1958), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Get Out (2017), Halloween (1978), Ju-on (1998), Midsommar (2019), Misery (1990), Poltergeist (1982), Ringu (1998), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – while also offering a behind-the-scenes look at the storytelling and production processes of these films.
The Horror Show opened on 26 September 2026 and is on view through 25 July 2027.
The Horror Show is organized by Senior Exhibitions Curator Jessica Niebel with Assistant Curator Nicholas Barlow, and Curatorial Assistant Alexandra James Salichs. Additional support by THI Moving Image Lab Curatorial Fellow Bradford Nordeen.
Image Credits: ©Academy Museum Foundation, Photo by: Emily Shur.