Horror Art

The Horror Art series

Horror art and creepy paintings, not movie posters

This is the rogues' gallery. Tim Curry as Pennywise, off the clock with a cigarette. Shelley Duvall as Wendy with the Overlook carpet behind her, Jack Nicholson through the door, and the pair of them posed as American Gothic. Frank N. Furter at full volume and the Houston marquee that screened him at midnight. The Duck Lady. Raccoons with three different agendas. Mr. Furley. A skeleton highwayman, a ghost cowboy, and a lover's eye that follows you across the room. Every one is a hand-painted original — creepy art paintings, not movie posters — and every one is a little bit wrong in exactly the right way.

Where it hangs

Call it creepy wall art, horror art prints, or the Halloween wall art that never comes down; the common thread is a character you already know, painted by someone who loves them enough to make them stranger. These are the prints for the home theater, the man cave with a film shelf, the gallery wall that stops conversation, and the household that treats Halloween as a twelve-month commitment.

Questions

What makes an unsettling icon?
A face or figure everyone recognizes, painted in a way that makes you look twice — horror characters, cult-classic anti-heroes, and the Crum family's own inventions like the Duck Lady and the raccoon bandit. Recognizable first, uncomfortable second, and funny somewhere in between.

Are these movie posters?
No. A movie poster is a studio's marketing; these are paintings of the characters, made by hand and printed from the original. There is no title treatment and no cast list — just the face. If you want the actual Shining one-sheet, that's a different search. If you want Wendy Torrance painted like a saint, you're in the right place.

Is this the same as weirdcore art?
No — they're neighbors. Horror Art is the portrait gallery: horror characters, cult-classic anti-heroes, and the Crum family's own inventions, painted as people and creatures. Weirdcore art is the scenery — diners, cigarettes, fast food, and rooms where something is slightly off. Nothing lives in both.

Too scary for a kid's room?
Mostly no. The raccoons, the Duck Lady and Mr. Furley land as odd rather than frightening. Pennywise, the Shining pair and Frank N. Furter are for the grown-ups' walls.

Is this only Halloween art?
It works hardest in October, and it doesn't come down in November. Horror art on the wall year-round is a statement about the household, which is the point. The seasonal pieces — skulls, ghost cowboys, the strictly spooky — live in Halloween art.

Where do these prints work in a house?
Media rooms and living rooms that double as home theaters, the man cave, a gallery wall with a sense of humor, and anywhere the Halloween art never comes down.

About Crum Art

Crum Art is a family of artists in Fort Worth, Texas — most of these are Caya Crum's, with Betsy Crum supplying the marquees and Mr. Furley. Original family artwork, printed to order.