Velvet Buzzsaw, 2019

As a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan, I was excited to hear he is featured in Dan Gilroy’s latest horror film Velvet Buzzsaw. Gilroy is better known for his real-life horror film, also featuring Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler. Up front, I am a much bigger fan of that film than I am of Velvet Buzzsaw. In Gilroy’s latest, we follow a group of people who are part of the fine art world when an unknown artist dies and his paintings are discovered. The paintings become high-profile and worth a lot of money, but there is also something more sinister associated with them. That’s where the horror comes in, which is the weakest aspect of the film. The actual death scenes in this pseudo-slasher-comedy are disappointing and unfun. Additionally, the choices made about which characters to follow and when and how the story unfolds are strange and messy. I did enjoy the art world setting of the film, and I would welcome any horror films in the future that want to explore this space more. I recommend skipping this one.