If you have a hobby that involves art or creativity in any capacity, it’s very likely that you’ve encountered the infamous art block. Whether it’s a well of inspiration running dry, the paralysis of a blank page or beginning a new project, everyone experiences creative block at some point in their lives.
Fortunately, over the years, I have accumulated a list of movies and shows that always get me out of a creative slump. These pieces of media are sure to drum up some inspiration for you (and if not, they’ll at least be a fun watch).
Labyrinth (1986)
https://youtu.be/-9vcQW_48D4?si=cHFCWXhoy3INt9Hx
In terms of creativity, Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth” is a childhood favorite and perhaps the most formative work for me.
That being said, it isn’t just nostalgia talking when I say this movie is a creative goldmine. Henson, just a few years out from “The Dark Crystal,” was at his dark fantasy best, and the world of “Labyrinth” is one of the most immersive hand-crafted worlds to ever appear on screen.
Every supporting character is a highly specialized, technically complicated puppet that is able to emote and interact with Sarah (the movie’s protagonist) like a real person. Hoggle’s face alone needed 18 motors and 4 puppeteers to run, as well as a puppeteer operating his body suit, just to achieve the level of human expression Henson envisioned him having.
The physicality of the movie’s environment is so detailed. You can’t help but be entirely immersed in it, and every time I watch it, I notice something new in the design or the puppetry.
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (2022)
https://youtu.be/UZN2BC8Z48U?si=qsAwpPXLJO2n0FQh
“Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” aired on BBC’s Channel 4 as a six episode series in September of 2022. But before that, it was a popular series of comedy horror shorts on YouTube, released between the years of 2011 and 2016. The YouTube series got nearly 250 million combined views before the creation of the television series was announced in 2018. Unfortunately, the TV show went through production hell and ended up taking four years to come out.
For a lesser show, such a drawn-out intervening period might have caused fan interest to wane in the interim, or made the show feel stale upon release, but when the newest series aired in 2022, the bright and horrific world of “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” felt more timeless than ever.
Creators Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling shifted away from the gimmick of the original YouTube videos, instead creating a well-written comedy television show that focused more closely on the three nameless, color-coded main characters (unofficially named “Yellow Guy,” “Red Guy,” and “Duck”). The result was funny, fresh, and still cosmically terrifying in all the right ways.
The biggest creative draw in “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” is the practicality and physicality of the entire show. The show is entirely puppets on an elaborate felt set with some mixed media animation and embellishment such as musical numbers, claymation, CGI and even live-action actors.
When I’m feeling creatively blocked, I like to binge the show and then look through some of the behind-the-scenes extras Sloan posts on her Instagram. It’s fascinating to see the way they pull everything together, and anyone with a mind for making things should definitely check it out.
Suspiria (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y0EEqtWrJI
Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” is considered a cult classic of the horror genre for several reasons, the foremost being its ability to evoke the feeling of being in a waking nightmare. It accomplishes this mostly through its odd, childlike dialogue and dream-logic chain of events, but also through its vivid, multicolor lighting and trance-like soundtrack. There’s a distinct lack of plot (especially in comparison to the 2018 remake), but what the movie lacks in story, Argento makes up for with a clear and unforgettable artistic vision.
The movie’s design elements are where I find the most inspiration. The halls of the ballet academy, where the film’s protagonist, Suzy, is staying, are starkly lit in lime greens and hot pinks. Whenever a young woman dies (which is quite often), she bleeds out an unnatural fluorescent red against bright, technicolor backdrops. The set pieces are brilliantly painted, and just a bit too big for the characters, evoking the feeling of being trapped in a dollhouse.
“Suspiria” is a technically beautiful portrayal of a fairytale gone horribly wrong, and something everyone should watch if they’re feeling artistically stuck.
Strawberry Mansion (2021)
https://youtu.be/dpPsvOSc1Gk?si=6YbjNcbIL4B0Q1Ee
Strawberry Mansion is an odd movie. From directors Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley, it’s the surreal story of James Preble, a man in 2035 who works as a dream auditor, and ultimately falls in love with the dream version of a woman he is auditing. The movie is a fantastical odyssey following the two of them as they struggle to be together, and Preble as he takes control of his own dreams and gains a new perspective on life
Every part of this movie is steeped in passion and excitement for the story Audley and Birney want to tell. The soundtrack, composed by electronic artist Dan Deacon, is dreamlike, managing to sound foreboding and hopeful all at once. I particularly like the track “Heaven into Ice Cream,” and I sometimes put it on when I’m struggling to begin a project.
The practical effects, set pieces and props in the movie are all handmade and have an air of childlike whimsy to them, as though the directors were simply playing with toys on a grander scale. Watching this movie is a cure to any type of art block, and I always walk away from it with the sudden urge to build something by hand.
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La1moU5qArM
“Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace” gives you the same feeling you would get watching a close-knit friend group perform a skit in the school talent show– that is, if that skit had a television budget, and aired on BBC’s Channel 4.
The brainchild of British comedians Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, “Darkplace” is a spoof of ‘80s low-budget action television, with all the flaws of the genre lovingly and painstakingly recreated. The characters all work in a hospital, a fact that is incidental to the plot, which usually revolves around massive explosions and dramatic close-ups. The parody isn’t all there is to the show, though– “Darkplace” is actually a show-within-a-show, framed by fictional horror author Garth Marenghi’s commentary and interviews with the cast’s “real life” actor counterparts.
“Darkplace” has a tangibility to it that makes it inspirational. The show comes across as though a group of friends got ahold of a video camera and decided to just start filming. It’s inspiring in that it makes creation seem approachable and fun: the interviews with Garth Marenghi and his fictional friends seem like riffs you would have with people you know, and the effects are all practical in a way that seem achievable to the general audience.
If you ever feel intimidated by the beginning of the creative process, I’d suggest putting on a few episodes of Garth Marenghi.
Hopefully, a few of these shows or movies will give you the boost you need to make something today. The biggest hurdle when it comes to finishing a project is forcing yourself to just start, but media like this can remind us why it’s worth taking that leap.
