Velvet Buzzsaw is a 2019 horror movie about an art gallery that discovers an artist whose work has dire consequences for those that own his work.
Set in the very art world, Morf Vanderwalt (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an art critic who has becomes bored and jaded at what he does. While at a prestigious art gallery run by Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo), Mort comes across an ex lover, Josephina (Zawe Ashton), she having discovered some curious art by her neighbor, who recently died. Everyone begins having a big interest in the new artist and Morf starts investigating who he is for a new article he’s writing. But when people start suffering grotesque accidents when they own the art, it will be up to Mort and Rhodora’s former assistant Coco (Natalia Dyer) to put a stop to the madness.
Velvet Buzzsaw has all the ingredients to be a really good cult movie, unfortunately this version of the story needs to be in a better oven. People who buy art that ends up killing them is a great idea and I was expecting something around the lines of Little Shop of Horrors, being another story about those who become admired with material things no matter the consequences. It could have been a great statement on our own obsessions, just with some really sweet gory horror moments.
I just don’t think writer and director Dan Gilroy really knows how to balance the satire elements with the horror ones. The effects when used are good but if this was made in the hands of someone who might know practical ones better, this might have been a bit more fun. I really enjoy the concept of this but the final project proves less than desirable.
The cast is really good but their performances at times feel more at home on Saturday Night Live than they do in the real world, yet they don’t go as far into full on spoof mode I feel that they should have. The characters should have been either real or comedic riffs on certain personas but not both. Also I think there was too many characters with too many side plots and motivations. I’m only now even mentioning Toni Collette and John Malkovich, who are good but seem to be characters that don’t need to be there. That said, I do eagerly await the off-Broadway musical to be made so that Velvet Buzzsaw can then get turned into a really good movie.