The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles opens The Horror Show on Saturday, a major survey of costumes, props, drawings, posters and other artifacts from landmark horror films across the history of cinema.

The exhibition ranges from Bela Lugosi's original cape from the 1931 "Dracula" to Aunt Gladys' pantsuit from "Weapons." Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Chucky all appear alongside material from more recent titles including "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."

Robert Englund, the actor behind Freddy Krueger, welcomed guests to the exhibition's preview.

Jessica Niebel, the exhibit's curator, framed the show around a central question. "The Horror Show revolves around a simple question: Why do horror films mean so much to so many people?" Niebel said. "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 show's chambers are organized around themes including slashers, religion, ghosts and science. Interactive photo opportunities let visitors climb into a coffin or take a selfie with Mrs. Bates from "Psycho." Guests exit through an eerie blood room.

The artifact list runs deep. It includes Gary Oldman's armor from the 1992 "Bram Stoker's Dracula," Catherine Deneuve's mummified corpse from the 1983 "The Hunger," the clown doll from "Poltergeist," Hannibal Lecter's costume from "The Silence of the Lambs," an alien bust from John Carpenter's "They Live," a Pennywise bust from "It," a model from Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein," a xenomorph from the "Alien" franchise, the first victim from "The Ring" hiding in a closet, a nun and a cenobite from "Hellraiser" — including the 2022 reboot — the mutant baby from "It's Alive," and Billy the puppet from "Saw."

Vintage posters on view include "Blacula" and "Horror of Dracula." One gallery simulates a vintage living room, where museumgoers can sit on a couch and browse scary VHS tapes.

For younger visitors who might find the main event too intense, the museum offers a companion exhibition, Zombies!, which goes easier on the gore.

The Academy will screen a robust slate of horror films alongside the exhibition. The program kicks off with an appearance by Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter for "Halloween," followed by a Carpenter retrospective.

The Horror Show runs through July 25, 2027, giving the museum nearly two years to test Niebel's thesis about why the genre endures.