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‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ Is Mesmerizing Art Horror About The Horrors Of The Art World

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“All art is dangerous.” is an off-hand line in Velvet Buzzsaw. It proves to be all too true.

Image via IMDB

The story follows foppish master art critic Morf Vandewalt (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he becomes entangled in an art exhibit with side effects worse than Stendhal Syndrome. Josephine (Zawe Ashton) an ambitious agent at an art exhibitor run by former punk icon Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo) finds a tenant in her apartment building dead one day. The man, Ventril Dease was a hermit who amassed a massive portfolio of beautifully painted portraits of his own design. After being pushed by Rhodora into claiming the isolated deceased’s collection of work, they plan on exhibiting it at the Los Angeles Museum of Art with much hype. Unwittingly however, they unleash a supernatural force that wreaks bloody mayhem on anyone who dared to profit off these ill-gotten masterpieces…

The movie by Nightcrawler‘s Dan Gilroy reunites some of his stars from the intense sociopathic thriller with Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo the leads once again in an impressive ensemble cast that also includes Toni Collette as an art curator and John Malkovich as a formerly alcoholic artist trying to recapture his glory. This ensemble cast sets-up many potential victims and how interwoven the web of lies and deceit within the world of art can be. Though at times it can be easy to lose track of characters and arcs as the spotlight hops around. Gyllenhaal’s performance as Morf was powerful as a man obsessed with finding perfection. Remarking “The critic is God in the art world” and driven to the point of describing his lover’s skin tone like a palette and even criticizing a funeral casket. Russo’s Rhodora likewise comes off as morally grey

Image via IMDB

At its core, Velvet Buzzsaw is a horror movie, without a doubt. Combined with that however, it is a flesh biting satire of the art world and the corruptive nature of art becoming more about business rather than… art. And the disturbing works of Dease punish those that seek to make a fortune from his accursed portraits. In a sense, the story of Velvet Buzzsaw is a traditional one in the horror genre: cursed treasure. Be it pirate booty or an ancient artifact, we are compelled to seek and utilize these objects in the face of unbelievable danger and death.

Image via IMDB

Whether to increase our bank accounts or our egos, the risk seems to match the reward. Leading to Dease’s art to set-up some gruesome and memorable kills through. combination of the portraits and environments. My personal favorite involving an exhibit called ‘Sphere’ like an industrial sized version of Phantasm‘s sentinel sphere. Gilroy seems to have a few clever horror homages through the film, (Including one I assume to be to Tales From The Hood) though they could be up to interpretation. Art, after all, is subjective.

While being based on such an esoteric community may turn off some, these same sentiments of art, greed, and desperation can relate to so many different communities and forms of creative expression. If you can, immerse yourself into the world of Velvet Buzzsaw on Netflix, February 1st or at one of its limited release screenings.

Image via IMDB

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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