Fun art satire, blunt horror.

Can’t say I’ve ever seen the worlds of horror and fine art colliding but thanks to the combined powers of Netflix and Dan Gilroy, here we are. ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ takes us deep into the vacuous heart of the LA commercial art scene, setting itself up as a blood-stained satire on the vapid, oddball characters that inhabit it. It’s a neat, unique concept that just falls short of its ambitions.

The film is a fun ride and does well to set up a world inhabited by wonderfully shallow, larger than life characters. Jake Gyllenhaal is on top scenery-chewing form as the icy art critic Morf Vandewalt and backed up by a fine cast including Rene Russo, Zawe Ashton, Toni Colette and John Malkovich in a variety of wacky, cartoonish roles.

As a horror film, ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ doesn’t quite hit the mark, with director Dan Gilroy seemingly more concerned with setting up a viable art world than building any genuine tension. The scares are pretty predictable and while the imagery of art pieces coming to life (a la Ghostbusters 2) is satisfyingly eerie, it all descends into a knock off Final Destination as the possessed art takes its bloody revenge on those profiting from it.

While it doesn’t say anything particularly revolutionary about the art scene it takes aim at, ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ is a fun if forgettable horror built on hilariously obnoxious performances from its cast. The Tales from the Crypt plot can’t really sustain its two-hour running time and the lightweight horror may be a letdown for genre fans, yet there’s certainly a lot to admire in what the film is trying to do.

Dan Gilroy hasn’t quite followed up the incredible ‘Nightcrawler’ with another work of art but it’s definitely a fun portrait of a world ripe for parodying and another fine effort for Netflix to add to their burgeoning movie portfolio.
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Velvet Buzzsaw is streaming on Netfli