Film
Velvet Buzzsaw
A fever dream about the art world's greed, where a supernatural force punishes collectors and dealers who've corrupted art into commodity. Jake Gyllenhaal leads a cast through increasingly surreal horror as paintings become weapons. It's visually dazzling, wickedly funny about pretension, and doesn't quite cohere—but the ride is intoxicating.
If you liked this
Nightcrawler2014
Gyllenhaal's previous deep dive into a world where ambition corrodes morality, chasing a story (here: art) that destroys everyone it touches. Same actor, same director, same electric unease.
But If you haven't seen it, that's a significant time commitment; Velvet Buzzsaw is more playful but Nightcrawler is the purer thriller.

Mulholland Drive2001
Lynch's masterpiece about the art of illusion in LA, where surfaces rot and nothing is quite real. Surreal, darkly funny, visually intoxicating—it's what Velvet Buzzsaw is trying to do.
But Three hours, deliberately cryptic, requires patient rewatching. Some find it pretentious; others find it transcendent.

The Phantom of the Opera1925
Silent horror about art and obsession, where beauty masks violence. Lon Chaney's performance is grotesque and tragic; the production design is a character itself.
But Silent film. Pacing and acting conventions are very old; it demands you meet it on its own terms.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Velvet Buzzsaw
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Phantom Thread2017
Both trap artists and their patrons in cycles of creation and harm, but Phantom Thread grounds it in human psychology while Buzzsaw makes it literal—the inverse approach to the same sickness.
Paul Thomas Anderson's film about a designer and his muse, where creation is possession and love is control. Gorgeous, precise, deeply unsettling—it's about art and obsession without showing art as supernatural.
But Glacially slow, almost no plot. High-fashion world that can feel airless and trivial even when it's not.

More like this (7)
Okja2017
Bong Joon-ho's film about commerce devouring ethics, with surreal imagery and tonal whiplash between comedy and genuine horror. Same moral engine as Buzzsaw, different subject.
But Tonally chaotic on purpose; if you want consistency over provocation, this will frustrate you.

The Neon Demon2016
Nicolas Winding Refn's synth-soaked nightmare about beauty, desire, and consumption. Visually ravishing, deeply disturbing, it's a complete aesthetic experience.
But Thin plot, glacial pacing, deliberately repellent characters. If you need narrative momentum, this suffocates it.

Suspiria2018
Luca Guadagnino's full remake of Argento's masterpiece: ballet, horror, and art collide. Stunning cinematography, unsettling score, Tilda Swinton is unforgettable.
But Nearly 150 minutes of slow-burn dread. Some find it bloated; the finale divides people sharply.

Only God Forgives2013
Refn and Gyllenhaal reunite in Bangkok for a neon-drenched crime story about grief and vengeance. Hypnotic visuals, almost no dialogue, pure mood and dread.
But Plot is secondary to atmosphere. If you're watching for story, you'll feel cheated.

Possessor2020
Brandon Cronenberg's body-horror thriller about identity and violation, with Kirsten Stewart at her most unsettling. Visceral, strange, genuinely disturbing.
But Graphic violence and sexual assault depicted directly. Not for the squeamish or easily triggered.

The Invisible Man2020
Leigh Whannell's reinvention of the classic is a paranoid thriller about control and invisible threat. Clever, suspenseful, uses negative space brilliantly.
But A home-invasion thriller that's morally straightforward. If you want ambiguity, this isn't it.

Christmas with the Kranks2004
Both films are about a society that's replaced authentic human impulse with commodified performance, except this one doesn't need demons because humans are already the problem.
A comedy about conformity, community pressure, and the obscene commercialization of sentiment. It's genuinely funny about American greed wearing a smile.
But It's a sitcom energy in feature-film form, and it's not trying to be profound—if you need your satire to have depth, this is pure surface.

People
Cast
Jake GyllenhaalMorf Vandewalt
Rene RussoRhodora Haze
Zawe AshtonJosephina
Tom SturridgeJon Dondon
Toni ColletteGretchen
Natalia DyerCoco
Daveed DiggsDamrish
Billy MagnussenBryson
John MalkovichPiers
Mig MacarioCloudio
Nitya VidyasagarGita
Directing
- Dan GilroyDirector
- Donald SparksFirst Assistant Director
- Susan MalersteinScript Supervisor
- Peter DressSecond Assistant Director
- Mike SmithSecond Unit Director
Writing
- Dan GilroyWriter
Production
- David FeinsilberAssociate Producer
- Donald SparksAssociate Producer
- Victoria ThomasCasting
- Leigh JonteCasting Assistant
- Elizabeth BrownCasting Associate
- Betsy DanburyExecutive Producer
- Dixie Webster-DavisExtras Casting
- Michael J. BurmeisterLocation Manager
- Sorta LimPost Production Coordinator
- Jennifer FoxProducer
- Rebecca R. RyanProduction Accountant
- Andrew BlauProduction Supervisor
- Betsy DanburyUnit Production Manager