Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film - Museum Exhibit Review

By:stacilayne
Updated: 11-15-2011

Review, text and photos by Staci Layne Wilson

Maybe you can't look away, but you won't want to anyway once you step into this paranormal parlor of freaks, madmen and monsters. The perverse art exhibit, currently lurking inside the amazing architecture of Frank Gehry at the EMP in Seattle, is well worth a look for fans of horror — or just anybody who's into movie memorabilia and wants to see some of their favorite props (getting up close to the actual ax wielded by Jack Torrance? Not dull at all!) and learn a few things about the origins of the genre.

Curated* by multigenerational masters of horror Roger Corman, John Landis, and Eli Roth, this basement-dwelling (yeah, where else would they put it?) display is chock-full of artifacts of all ilk. I took a ton of pics, but barely broke the skin — Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film is one the most well thought-out, best laid out exhibits I've seen in quite awhile (though not as dense as the visual Tim Burton dissertation which occupied L.A. over the summer).

[*they probably had a little help from senior curator Jacob McMurray.]

In addition to the many items on display, there are several interactive opportunities. What really wowed me was seeing Bram Stoker's own handwriting all over the manuscript of what would become Dracula (on display for the first time!). Previously titled The Un-Dead, it's under glass at the museum, but thanks to a special touch screen you can skip ahead and peruse any section you'd like. There's also the handwritten script cover for Night of the Living Dead (by "John" Romero) and some beautifully illustrated and heavily annotated pages from one of Guillermo del Toro's many notebooks.

Other ghastly and ghoulish delights include the Scream Booth and an art installation called Shadow Monsters which alters projections of shadows, bestowing visitors with fangs, claws and tentacles.

For those who "like to watch" (you pervs!), there are also several monitor displays featuring interviews with a vast array of horror film directors and actors, movie clips showing everything from The Wicker Man to Suspiria to Hostel, and other audio/visual touches.

The only thing I found somewhat lacking — given the venue (EMP stands for Experience Music Project) — was a focus on the scoring and the seminal composers who helped shape the sounds of horror (Bernard Herrmann, Goblin, Harry Manfredini, Joseph Bishara). There is something on "Horror Soundscapes" but it's not the center of attention.

Still in all, it's a magnificent, obsessive and excessive exhibit. If you should find yourself in the Emerald City anytime soon, it's well worth a gawk.

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Sound and Vision: Artists Tell Their Stories

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