The Horror Show! A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain at Somerset House

The South Wing of Somerset House is currently inhabited by a cacophony of gloomy sounds and nightmarish landscapes. Its impressive new exhibition, The Horror Show! traces how modern horror has influenced British culture since the 1970s. The show celebrates Britain’s “greatest cultural provocateurs and visionaries” and how the last half century of creative rebellion has been inspired by ideas stemming from the horror genre,

Featuring over 200 artworks and artefacts, the exhibition presents a new perspective on the last five decades of modern British history in three acts: Monster, Ghost and Witch. This arrangement works exceptionally well, as the individual segments follow a precise chronological order, helping the viewer understand the logic and meaning behind every artwork. Opening the exhibition, Monster begins by delving into the economic and political turbulence of the 70s and social division of the 80s. Punk culture is the main focus, with special attention to its music. In the first room, there’s a series of display cases with poems by William Borroughs, beautiful pictures of David Bowie, (a lot of) A Clockwork Orange-related artwork, creepy severed heads, even creepier puppets and much more – all of this with Bauhaus’s Bela Lugosi’s Dead in the background. It might all feel slightly overwhelming at first, but as one progresses through the rooms, everything slowly falls into place. 

Second act Ghost traces an unsettling path from the collapse of 80s culture to the global financial crisis of 2008, at the dawn of a digital age. Immersive sound installations from Laura Grace Ford and Nick Ryan highlight the strange frequencies of an era that saw the explosion of technology. This is definitely the most elusive, ethereal section of the exhibition, and rightly so.

The final act, Witch, is the most visually striking, and focuses on 2008’s financial crash up to the present day, celebrating the younger generations and their desire to “reject the patriarchal, privileged and profit-driven singular seat of power” by forging “new spells from ancient ideas”. The section’s final scene features a striking presentation from Turner Prize winning-artist Tai Shani – seen for the first time in the UK – accompanied by an audio installation created by Gazelle Twin and specially commissioned for The Horror Show!.

With today’s world in chaos, the exhibition’s curators, Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard and Claire Catterall, are convinced that horror as a genre has never been more important. In a situation where everything is driven towards increasingly binary positions, horror teaches us how to be aware of and interested in the grey areas. Even those who are not big fans of the genre will agree on this. A stunning exhibition.

Diletta Lobuono

The Horror Show! A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain is at Somerset House from 27^th October until 19^th February 2023. For further information visit the exhibition’s website here.