Category: Monsters

10 Spine-Chilling Movies About Demons and Possession

In 1973, William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” shocked audiences with its convincing portrayal of demonic possession, getting under our skin with slow-burning horror, the fear of godlessness, and the loss of self-control. Mythologies about dark spirits and the underworld have existed across cultures for a long, long time, and possession films tap into our primal fears; […]

Smoke, Tentacles, and Myth: Photography by Valeria Chorozidi

Valeria Chorozidi is a fine art photographer from Greece who is ever-drawn to the darkness of things. Until recently, she shot mostly self-portraits inspired by ideas that came to her late at night. While she also now works with other models, self-portraiture continues to serve as an important creative outlet for her personal and aesthetic […]

Sinister Visions: Blackwork Tattoos by Robert Borbas

Róbert Borbás (aka, Grindesign) is known for his incredible blackwork tattoos—and deservedly so. Along with strong lines and flowing compositions, Borbás harnesses the subtle nuances of black and gray ink to produce deep, lush, gothic scenes haunted by demonic animals, moldering skulls, and the restless undead. Much of his imagery derives from themes of the […]

Growing Hybrid Mythologies: Update on Caitlin Hackett

Warning: Contains nudity. Hybridity is the law of nature in the visceral, organic artworks of Caitlin Hackett. We featured her in 2012, but she has been busy in the years since, producing visionary paintings and illustrations of humans and animals embroiled in rituals of sacrifice and rebirth. As roots and fungus sprout from dying bodies, […]

The Selfie Apocalypse: Marvelous Mutants by Mothmeister

The artistic duo known as Mothmeister brings taxidermy to life in nightmarishly endearing photoshoots. Combining perished and preserved animals with models dressed up in masks and begrimed clothing, they create Frankenstein-esque humanoids who behold the camera with a shameless sense of pride. The barren, apocalyptic backgrounds provide the perfect settings for the artists to parody […]

Angelarium: The Ancient, Cosmic Divinities of Peter Mohrbacher

Chicago-based illustrator Peter Mohrbacher personifies the forces and guardians of the cosmos. In 2005, upon discovering the thousands of named angels that existed throughout the world’s mythologies, Mohrbacher began his “Angelarium” project. Each of the ethereal creatures in his gallery is portrayed within imaginative alternate dimensions, contextualized by their watery, earthen, and celestial elements. While […]

Creepy Crocheted Animal Skeletons by Caitlin McCormack

Caitlin McCormack is a Philadelphia-based artist who crochets delicate skeletons using cotton string stiffened with glue. Her brittle creations—which include birds, small mammals, and bizarre hybrids—resemble archeological specimens, pressed in the earth and decayed by time. They writhe, unravel, and cluster together, embodying both the despair of extinction and the persistence of memory. Images © […]

Placide Avantia Tattoos the Dark Aesthetics of Nature and Geometry

Placide Avantia is a tattoo artist based in Aix-en-Provence, France. Combining animal imagery with geometric shapes and esoteric symbols, she etches (using vegan ink) the darkest aspects of nature, illuminating the symmetry, spiritualism, and cycles of life and death that permeate the natural world. She works from her private studio Fuscare, which she designed with […]

Philip Ob Rey Contructs Giant, Humanoid Omens out of VHS Tape

“Humantropy” is a word coined by artist Philip Ob Rey to describe the decline of civilization in an age of renewed chaos. To explore this concept, Ob Rey constructed spectral giants made out of VHS tape and found natural objects (feathers, stones, and seaweed) and photographed them in the frozen, brooding plains of Iceland. Each […]

10 Rogue Taxidermy Artists Who Create Imaginative Sculptures

The art of taxidermy has been practiced for a long time; the ancient Egyptians embalmed and entombed cats, birds, and other creatures. Over the millennia, animals have been mounted as hunters’ trophies and museum artifacts. It is an odd practice, one that is traditionally pulled between human pride, symbolism, and a desire to memorialize deceased […]