From the sublime to the ridiculous — Canberra artists looking for inspiration have found it in unlikely places.

Outspoken director Kirill Serebrennikov is under house arrest as an investigation continues into allegations he embezzled $1.5 million of government money, some of which was earmarked for a play investigators say was never produced.

The venue had been due to host Los Angeles rock band Allah-Las, but the show was cancelled when Dutch police received a "terror threat" warning.

A spate of recent TV shows feature protagonists whose mental health condition gives them special skills. But these are often accessed by rejecting medication, and one expert says that's dangerous.

Horror films always toy with our anxieties and primal fears. So what does it say about Australians that we keep setting our thrillers in the outback?