These horror portraits by Christopher Charles Curtis look like a horror western, full of vintage appeal and morbid brilliance. Particularly disturbing is the biographic quality contained within these illustrations, appearing as Polaroid captures or accurately drawn stills.

The characters within these illustrations all appear to be struggling with a sense of identity and placement within their environment. Wrought with macabre and demonic elements, the killers and victims are struggling with their relationship between themselves and the conditions of their existence.

Contemporary culture has seen a rise in grotesque and horror themed entertainment - SAW, Hostel, etc. As our environments become more complicated and real interactions become more convoluted and filtered, people begin seek real emotional stimulation from the aggressive and vicious in response to routine behavior and encouraged complacency.