The Last Horror Show
An Exhibition
Thursday - Saturdays
Backlit Gallery
12-5pm
The Last Horror Show presents a celebration and exploration into the realm of horror through contemporary art and moving image. Featuring work by Jonathan Baldock, Gina Birch, Xin Chen, Matthew Chesney, Maya Deren, John Humphreys, Elizabeth Alice Keen, Nathaniel Mellors, Kim Thompson and Oliver Ventress.
This exhibition provokes a conversation between the production of horror films and the evocative power of visual art, creating an unsettling experience. Through exploring horror’s key elements—such as immersion, the unknown, special effects, and the emotional reactions they provoke—The Last Horror Show challenges us to reconsider our understanding of fear and its influence on our perception of reality. The title of the exhibition is inspired by the cult horror comedy The Last Horror Movie (1982), directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. Special effects were led by exhibiting artist John Humphreys, and the film was assisted in production by Terry Hunt – cocurator and Matthew Chesney’s late grandfather.
The gallery becomes a haunted space that lures visitors to revel in the atmosphere of works that simultaneously repel and enchant. Positioned at the intersection of film and art, the exhibition unearths themes of identity, mental health, humour, and otherness.
Accompanying the exhibition is a Zine Library, curated by The Nottingham Horror Collective, which offers a DIY lens into the world of horror through their past and present editions.