VELVET BUZZSAW is nothing if not unique. It’s an utterly bizarre film that could have only ever been made for a streamer like Netflix, in that it’s a total exercise in style but also utterly slight - it’s a far cry from the stylish, twisted trailer that had people buzzing a few weeks ago. If you’re expecting a horror film or anything even remotely frightening, think again - this is occasionally silly fun but not much more.
It takes quite a while for the horror elements to kick in, but when they come they feel unnecessary. The idea here is that the characters stumble upon the work of a deceased artist with a dark past, with his work carrying a kind of curse that wreaks bloody havoc on anyone who profits from it. However, the mystery involving the artist feels inconsequential and merely a way to work in a bit of carnage to mesh-up the genres in what’s meant to be a provocative way. VELVET BUZZSAW would have been more effective as pure satire, as Gilroy doesn’t seem to have an affinity for this genre. There’s never a moment where VELVET BUZZSAW is chilling, and in the last act when the film asks us to take the whole thing relatively seriously, it falls apart.
It’ll be interesting to see how audiences react when this hits Netflix, but it’s hard not to imagine the same people that posted about the trailer on social media will feel somewhat cheated by the bait and switch. By the same token though, it’s not hard to imagine a cultish audience embracing it. It’s not for everyone (including me), but I’m sure there are some folks that will like it, although don’t expect this to become another viral sensation for the streamer.
5/10
