Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

A Netflix film that I decided to watch just because the poster kept catching my interest, Velvet Buzzsaw is quite the interesting film. I went in blind, only knowing the plot based on the Netflix description. 

This film is actually part comedy which I wasn't expecting. I also was not expecting Toni Collette to be in this film with a rather bossy and silly role. After being utterly traumatized by her performance in Hereditary (not even kidding) seeing her in such a different tone was odd, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

This review is spoiler free.

Style

I assume people will want to know if this film is "artsy" right off the bat. An "art film" is usually considered to have odd and unique shots that aren't typically seen in mainstream films. People tend to use this term negatively, even though I don't think it's all bad.

Yes, this film does have a few shots like that, but I think it's forgivable considering this film takes place widely in an art gallery. It just fits the overall theme and doesn't feel out of place. It's not distracting either. In other areas, the filming is nice, and the lighting in several shots helps to reflect the overall mood of a scene.

Sound

The sound in this movie is pretty average. There was one fake-out 'jumpscare' I can remember but other than that, nothing major to note. The music of course fit into the art theme.

Writing

Being completely honest, this film takes a while to get going. Much of the first half I was just waiting for the plot to get going. I do like the idea of haunted or cursed artwork, it's not something you usually see in a horror movie and I like the concept. 

I won't give spoilers but some of the deaths were pretty unique so I'll give it that. The idea of a piece of artwork itself killing you is one I haven't seen before. There are a few lines of dialogue that made me chuckle, especially from Toni Collette's character.

SP00KS

I wouldn't exactly call this "scary" as many of the reactions to the deaths are rather comical. Mainly the one lady who keeps finding the dead bodies, I felt for her. And as I said before some of the deaths are very unique and were fun to watch play out.

Overall

This movie isn't terrible and it has it's great moments, but it could have been more. Still, what it does have is entertaining. If you're bored on a Saturday night, you might want to give Velvet Buzzsaw a go, especially if you like more out of the box horror movies.