Inside the Horror Film-Themed Moschino Fashion Show at Universal Studios

It was Halloween in Hollywood on the evening of Friday, June 7, as L.A.-based fashion designer Jeremy Scott (wearing a white hoodie decorated with a smiley face in a red anarchy symbol) put a fresh spin on the Universal classic monsters and more for his spring-summer 2020 menswear and resort 2020 womenswear Moschino presentation on the Universal Studios backlot.

Among the Moschino-clad crowd were Storm Reid, Paris Jackson and musician boyfriend Gabriel Glenn, Marcia Gay Harden with her daughter Eulala Grace, Kathryn Newton, Quincy Brown, Riverdale stars Camila Mendes and Madelaine Petsch, Kate Beckinsale and Eli Roth. Hollywood stylists Law Roach and Jeanne Yang, costume designer Arianne Phillips, and B. Akerlund (who swept by with her twin daughters, all wearing bewitching black dresses) also took the tram ride to the show, set on Colonial Street — Wisteria Lane on Desperate Housewives and site of the Victorian home on The Munsters.

Speaking of “munsters,” the theme drew on an array of horror films including Universal classics as well as The Shining, Us and the Halloween and Scream thrillers. “I love all these different types of horror in Hollywood cinema; I eat it all up!” Scott, Moschino’s creative director, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Universal was so generous with letting me see everything in their archives and play on their set, mapping things out. In the video we created for guests to watch on a guided tour on the tram [tonight], I do full Wolf Man prosthetics and everything. I’m in heaven here.”

The idea was kindled during a private Universal Studios tour. “I saw this idyllic, beautiful street and it inspired me,” he said. “I thought, ‘Something sinister’s going to happen here’ and I started designing the collection. And that’s when I started going around the Halloween theme. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon all originated here at Universal so I wanted to do an homage to them. A little spooky couture! And I thought about kids trick-or-treating. Some things are more sinister, some are more playful. That’s the thing about Halloween. Everything goes!”

As to whether he has filmmaking aspirations of his own, Scott said: “I would love to! We are in Hollywood, aren’t we?”

Scott worked closely with the Universal film executive Holly Goline on a backlot mural on a soundstage wall by street artist Tristan Eaton (unveiled earlier this year) that depicts the four aforementioned Universal classic monsters.

“Jeremy did a project with our consumer products division for his autumn-winter show this past February around Good Luck Trolls,” said Goline. “He’s such a sponge of culture. We took him to our archives in Glendale, which have so many amazing behind-the-scenes photos, original artwork from our sets, and original scripts and compositions and posters. Part of that experience in the archives was helping him really draw out the essence of what these characters meant—not only to film, but to people who love them and classic culture in general.”

She continued: “I think that the collection, which has pieces directly inspired by the Universal monsters, will resonate with a lot of people. These characters have always been in the hearts of so many for so many reasons—one, because they emotionally connect to us and they’re the original outsiders and the misfits and the misunderstood. And so Jeremy was able to tap into that. Being such a beautiful human, he certainly understood why they were so relevant.”

The show kicked off with a reenactment of the opening scene in Wes Craven’s Scream with a blonde model channeling Drew Barrymore’s Casey (in a Casper the Friendly Ghost tee and jeans printed with Frankenstein stitches), running with a blood-curdling shriek through a yard on set. Then models began to emerge from the homes; one evoking Fay Wray in King Kong in a pleated white dress imprinted with the word “goddess,” topped off with an oversized black gorilla hand that doubled as a cape. Holding hands, the terrifying Grady twins from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining strolled by in shirtwaist dresses printed with eerie childlike drawings of girls faces and pastel Mary Jane heels. Other models, wearing vibrant masks and wigs, donned a mash-up of monster-patterned clothes and accessories.

The bandage dress was mummified as an elegant gown crafted from strips of white tulle, worn with a black leather motorcycle jacket with a shimmery gold chainlink spiderweb, a black “Trick Or Chic” tote bag, and a belt and necklace decorated with gold brooms, wolves, and witch hats. There was a red satin-lined Dracula cape and a Dracula-inspired scarf and suit for guys embellished with a knifed heart motif. Fuzzy black spiders crawled up a pink brocade coat. Other accents ran the gamut from trick-or-treat totes with jack-o’-lantern faces, ripped fishnet stockings, skeleton earrings that dripped red beaded blood, creepy gloves imprinted with skeletal patterns, and lunchbox-style handbags adorned with horror film titles and images. The grand finale was the ultimate bridezilla in a beautiful veil and ivory bustier gown with cutaway sides and a spider on her bust, styled with skeletal gloves and hosiery.

“Incredible!” said Storm Reid after the show. “I felt like I was out trick-or-treating but also in high fashion. I’m just thankful to be here. He did such an amazing job of creating not only a fashion show, but an experience, something that people won’t forget. He really paid attention to the clothes, but also the ambience was amazing. I’m glad I could soak it all up.”

Newton gave her review: “It was shocking. I’ve done horror films, but I am the biggest scaredy cat! I felt like the show came to life. My favorite was the white sequined suit [and cummerbund] that was like Casper the Friendly Ghost.”

Rowan Blanchard said being a Libra and born in October makes her a natural Halloween lover. “I’m just used to everything being Halloween-themed around my birthday, so I love it. And I love that [Jeremy] makes fashion so fun and creative. I think he’s one of the last people really creating looks that are just themed and camp.”

Brown, who arrived with a black and white python snake named Gemini around his neck, wearing an elaborately bejeweled, Moschino track jacket and top with a skeletal-inspired pattern, said: “Jeremy hand-selected this for me to wear tonight. It kind of gives me Michael Jackson, that prestigious feel and look. As you can see, I got a little extra with participating in tonight’s horror theme. My snake was the only appropriate date! The show was phenomenal. He always does these themes that really lock you in and involve you. It was almost like an attraction park, so it was hard to take everything in. But hey, that’s Jeremy — pure entertainment!”