Artnet News lists 10 immersive installation artworks that are creepy enough to double as haunted houses for Halloween. Featured works include Alex Da Corte's "Die Hexe" (2015) at Luxembourg & Dayan, which transformed a townhouse into a ghostly dollhouse with a morgue; Mike Kelley's "Exploded Fortress of Solitude" (2011) at Hauser & Wirth, a sculptural interpretation of Superman's lair; Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe's "Scenario in the Shade" at Red Bull Studios, a dystopian arts festival installation; Tobias Rehberger's "Bar Oppenheimer" (2013) at Hotel Americano, featuring disorienting dazzle camouflage patterns; and Puppies Puppies' "Gollum" at Queer Thoughts, where an actor in a Gollum mask performs live.
The article matters because it highlights the intersection of installation art with popular culture and seasonal entertainment, demonstrating how contemporary artists create immersive, psychologically unsettling environments that engage audiences beyond traditional gallery experiences. By framing these works as potential haunted houses, the piece underscores installation art's power to evoke fear, disorientation, and visceral reactions, while also noting the commercial and cultural appeal of such works—evidenced by crowds including Leonardo DiCaprio at Kelley's show. It reflects a broader trend of experiential art that blurs boundaries between fine art, spectacle, and horror.