Celebrate Halloween with Spooky Art

Halloween is tomorrow! Are you excited? I am. I’m not even doing anything fun, there’s just an exciting feeling in the air. It feels nostalgic and safe. In celebration, I thought it would be fun for us to look at some spooky art!

Here’s thing: this art isn’t inherently sinister or scary. This is an exercise in challenging our understanding of fear being open-minded to new perspectives. Obviously, everyone has different ideas about what makes art spooky, so you might not find any of this art unsettling*, but you can still participate in this activity!

This post has sixteen images for you to view and consider in the context of spookiness. I’ve included some ways for you to think about art and challenge your perspective on spookiness.

1. As you look at the art, try to articulate why it could be unsettling. Answer these questions if you need help finding the words: What do you see? Who’s in the art? What is happening? What do you know? What don’t you know? What do you think happened? What do you think is going to happen next?
2. If you don’t find the art unsettling, consider why other people might. This is a good opportunity to empathize with others and imagine their world view.
3. Determine what human experience the art represents. Examples include loneliness, confusion, sickness, intimacy, monotony, celebration, death, hunger, and so much more.
4. Explore how the human experience is related to fear. A seemingly benign moment in a work of art, like a big party, could actually illicit fears: strangers, overwhelm caused by too many people or loud noises, being out of your comfort zone, social expectation or anxiety.

*None of this art depicts graphic images of human suffering or specific events.