We are talking about more horrific events that take us to the world of excitement and pleasure. The story began with the discovery of a series of paintings by an unknown artist. Perhaps these paintings are the reason for the change of things where a supernatural power avenges those who allowed their greed to object to art and perhaps it is very frightening.
The story - a dead man's paintings plague glib art hounds - allows for a few nifty effects-driven scares, but the upshot is nearly as superficial as the world it's lampooning.
Velvet Buzzsaw may seem like a critique on greediness and our relationship to art on the surface, but what Dan Gilroy has created in nothing short of a surreal, campy and bonkers and entertaining ride through hell.
Velvet Buzzsaw is never less than a feast for the eyes even when it reduces the plot to B-level butchery. What's missing is the potent provocation that Gilroy seemed to be developing at the start.
"Velvet Buzzsaw" has fun sending up the pretentiousness of the art world and its collective clamoring to discover the Next Big Thing, but it loses its bite as it morphs into a directionless horror romp.
It comes within an inch of a really snappy disquisition (to use Morf's word) on the painting marketplace, but to avoid disappointment it's better approached as a gory romp.
