Over the years, Somerset House has been privy to a slew of fascinating subcultural deep-dives, from open-air Vogue Balls at the Gareth Pugh and Carson Coll co-curated This Bright Land, to colossal retrospectives on pioneering Black artists and even in-depth histories on the illustrators of Beano cartoons (fans of Dennis The Menace make some noise). But of these storied histories, none have focused so highly on the curiously strange charm of this country as the institution’s forthcoming showcase: THE HORROR SHOW: A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain.

Aiming to bring the dark underbelly of the United Kingdom’s psyche to light across several mediums that include art, photography, music & design, Somerset House’s Senior Curator Claire Catteral is joined by artist and filmmakers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard [20,000 Days on Earth] drawing on the bewitching codes that have spurred on some of our darkest, mind-bending and positively corrupted visionaries.

THE HORROR SHOW: A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain is set to boast over 150 coveted artefacts and works, with the likes of designer Pam Hogg, The Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding, photographers Juno Calypso and Derek Ridgers and producer & composer Gazelle Twin all lending their talents and various counter-cultural creations to the project.

Starting with punk in the 1970s, the show is set to take us on a bumpy ride through the many movements that have inspired oddball creativity over the last 50 years. The first, Monster, is an ode to chaotic and misunderstood visual aesthetics, with the occultish Ghost and enchanted community feel of Witch both following shortly after. Above all, the exhibition’s curators hope that these provocative works will show how in times of upheaval, solace can always be found in breaking the mould.

The Horror Show runs from October 27th to February 19th 2023, tickets are available to book here