Who says you can’t have your slasher flicks with a side of culture? The Art of Fear, which kicks off Wednesday, October 5 at Brooklyn’s Nitehawk Cinema, features films and videos by contemporary artists who are influenced by horror cinema.

The two-part event, curated by Caryn Coleman, explores the reciprocal relationship between horror films and visual art. The first program, appropriately titled Pieces, will feature Chicago artist Takeshi Murata along with Darren Banks and Jamie Shovlin, both of the United Kingdom. The three artists have cut, recomposed and manipulated scenes from a number of gory classics to make their own unique films.

“These works are montages from classic (and not so classic) giallo, slasher and B-movies from the 1960s-1980s,” says Caryn. “By re-arranging and manipulating the actions and contexts of films such as The Burning, Friday the 13th and Mask of Satan, these artists apply new meaning to what is familiar in horror. As the first program in The Art of Fear, Pieces is an homage to and de-construction of this influential time period of horror.”

Here’s a breakdown of the, um, pieces featured in the first program:

Takeshi Murata, Monster Movie
US, 2005, DVD, 3:55 minutes, color, sound

Darren Banks, I’m sure if there were a monster in the midlands we would have seen it on the telly
UK, 2011, found video footage, 17 minutes, color, sound

Darren Banks, Interiors
UK, 2005, found video footage, 10 minutes, color, sound

Takeshi Murata, Untitled (Silver)
US, 2006, DVD, 11 minutes, b&w, sound

Jamie Shovlin, Hiker Meat
UK, 2009-present, digital video, 77 minutes, color, sound

The program begins on Wednesday, October 5 at 7pm in the upstairs lobby of Nitehawk Cinema, 136 Metropolitan Avenue (between Wythe and Berry) in Brooklyn, New York. Admission is free. Visit Caryn’s blog, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, or the theater’s official site for more info.