Plot: Thurber is a rising star in the art world, but his world is turned upside down when he meets Pickman. Pickman's a rebellious artist who looks for darkness hiding behind the beauty. His paintings are very powerful, so overwhelming in fact that they take over the minds of the people who lay eyes on them.
Watches
October 30, 2022
A straight-up Lovecraft adaption from the hands of Keith Thomas. It's certainly not the most original premise (art as a gateway into darkness), but the execution is on point. This could be said about most of these Cabinet of Curiosities entries, to be fair. If you're looking for moody horror with some nice creature effects, del Toro got you covered.
It was fun seeing Crispin Glover again, the Lovecraftian elements get plenty of room to shine and the finale delivers. The build-up is a tad slow maybe and Pickman's art isn't quite as insane-looking as the story needed it to be, but these are minor qualms that don't take too much away from the film. Good fun.