Why Horror Movies Keep Haunting the Art World

If you consider yourself a dedicated fan of contemporary art, then you're probably no stranger to watching things onscreen that the average person would find bizarre, upsetting, or even downright gruesome. So it should come as no surprise that the art world––and the Artnet News staff––contains more than a couple die-hard fans of horror movies, too.

But what's more surprising than the contemporary art world having an interest in Hollywood horror flicks is that Hollywood horror flicks increasingly seem to have an interest in the contemporary art world. 

Over the past few years, big-name studios and production companies have released multiple hair-raising feature films with––you guessed it––an art angle. And while each one of these movies has sunk its claws into different aspects of contemporary art, the fact that screenwriters and directors keep coming back to it for spooky material suggests that something larger is afoot in the broader culture's perception of the strange little cult we call the art world.

In honor of Halloween, my Artnet News colleague and fellow horror aficionado Taylor Dafoe wrote a piece that offered up some ideas about why, exactly, contemporary art has haunted so many recent scary movies. Through the cursed app known as Zoom, Taylor joined Artnet News Art Business Editor,Tim Schneider, to talk about three recent films featured in that piece: Candyman, Velvet Buzzsaw, and Hereditary. 

A couple haunted housekeeping items before we begin: If you haven't seen those movies but want to, be advised that there are spoilers scattered throughout the episode. And if you have some feedback or maybe a recommendation for a future episode, go ahead and email us at [email protected]. That's p-o-d-c-a-s-t-s @ artnet dot com.

OK, with all that out of the way: Lock your doors, turn out the lights, and follow Tim and Taylor into the dark... if you dare.