Pages from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (Book of the Dead) from Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, 1987

Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) will open a new exhibition, Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film, on September 30. This original exhibit takes an in-depth look at more than a century of horror cinema, from blood-thirsty vampires and unrelenting zombies to fiendish slashers.

The exhibit presents the broad range of iconic horror villains and the stories over the generations that have brought them to life. It features a macabre display of more than 50 props and costumes from film and television including The Walking Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13^th, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade, Bride of Frankenstein, The Thing, Dawn of the Dead, Hostel, Jeepers Creepers, Pet Sematary, and more.

Taking inspiration from the genre, the 3,000 square foot gallery space is designed to evoke the unsettling sensations associated with cinematic terror. Themed sections include an unholy vampire chapel with walls dripping blood, a zombie containment area with an aquarium wall of submerged zombie heads from The Walking Dead, and a slasher’s den with a thicket of corpses suspended from the ceiling. The exhibit will also feature multi-media experiences including exhibit films, oral history interviews, and interactive photo ops.

Says Jacob McMurray, Senior Curator, MoPOP,  “We are also thrilled to add acclaimed directors Karyn Kusama and Roxanne Benjamin to join our guest curators, Roger Corman, John Landis, and Eli Roth.”

ARTIFACT HIGHLIGHTS:

• Sweater worn by Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
• Severed heads from The Walking Dead, 2012
• Church the Cat prop from Pet Sematary, 1989
• Creeper costume worn by Jonathan Breck in Jeepers Creepers, 2001
• Machete prop from Dawn of the Dead, 1978
• Costume worn by Wesley Snipes in Blade, 1998
• Lament Configuration Box from Hellraiser: Inferno, 2000
• Pamela Voorhees severed head prop, from Friday the 13^th, 1980
• Stunt stake gun used in Fright Night, 2011
• Hacksaw used by Carey Elwes as Dr. Lawrence Gordon in Saw, 2004
• Hero functioning repeater crossbow used by Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing, 2004
• Hi-8 camcorder used onscreen in The Blair Witch Project, 1999
• “Gill Man” mask from Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954
• Mr. Pointy stake used by sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1998
• Pages from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (Book of the Dead) from Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, 1987
• Special effects switchboard used in Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and other films 1930-1965
• Axe used by Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining, 1980
• Chainsaw used by the German Surgeon in Hostel, 2005

Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film is included with museum admission. Due to some graphic content, this exhibit is recommended for ages 13 and up.

Pages from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (Book of the Dead) from Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, 1987