Folk Horror

[Mister Six]

No one mentioned A Field In England yet? Then I will.

Is that really horror, though? I don't remember much about it, to be honest, but I don't recall it being particularly scary, or even spooky. Just a bit odd and rambling.

[Catalogue Trousers]

To me, it's Folk Horror. There's a constant undertow of the unearthly and supernatural - the idea that you can blunder into a dangerous pocket dimension just by ending up on the wrong side of a hedge. And that scene with Shearsmith in the tent - that puts the wind up you something chronic.

[Mister Six]

Hm, I probably need to rewatch it, but my mild antipathy to/irritation with Ben Wheatley's oeuvre makes it unlikely.

[checkoutgirl]

Would that be a slightly misremembered Border?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_(2018_Swedish_film)

Border is a tune that straddles the line between arthouse and exploitation quite nicely. If you're that way inclined I say jump in and the less you know about it the better as it's a proper mind bender. Channel 4 late night shit.

[checkoutgirl]

The Borderlands (2013)

Personally that's more a found footage genre for me but your mileage may vary. Etc. Decent enough though. The dude was in Red Dwarf I think.

[paddy72]

Wikipedia lumped it in with the New French Extreme genre which I've taken an interest in. Although that genre probably poses the same issues with categorisation etc.

Calvaire is French-Belgian, and is indeed great. Definitely strong folk horror vibes.

You're in for a treat/terrible time if you're just embarking on the New French Extremity.

[Gladys]

'The Shout' from 1978 is a favourite of mine. Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt are all excellent. It's got a an eerie '70's Roeg-like feel to it with great sound design making full use of Hurt's character being an experimental soundscape artist and a couple of dudes from Genesis doing the score.

[ElTwopo]

Hagazussa is pretty good. Slow-paced but interspersed with Lynchian weirdness and other horrible shit happening in a remote 15th century mountain village.

[Eggy Mess]

Dunno if Psychomania (1973) counts as FH although it has got a frog in it & a fella strumming an acoustic guitar. Not really scary, but hugely enjoyable with a great John Cameron soundtrack and Dot Cotton.

[The F Bomb]

'The Shout' from 1978 is a favourite of mine. Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt are all excellent. It's got a an eerie '70's Roeg-like feel to it with great sound design making full use of Hurt's character being an experimental soundscape artist and a couple of dudes from Genesis doing the score.

This sounds very good, on the list. Cheers.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Alison's Birthday (1981) is an Aussie film along like lines of Robin Redbreast and that kind of thing. I like it when folk horror has a sort of painful inevitability to it, which this does. Very good.

[George White]

And it has forum fave John Bluthal as a Satanist.

[Waking Life]

Alison's Birthday (1981) is an Aussie film along like lines of Robin Redbreast and that kind of thing. I like it when folk horror has a sort of painful inevitability to it, which this does. Very good.

That painful inevitability is somewhat of a characteristic in itself (ignoringn warnings from locals etc). I wouldn't say M R James is necessarily folk horror (although that doc does), but I always liked the way the doomed protagonist constantly tries to rationalise against the 'customs' or happenings, no matter how weird.

Michael Horden in the 60s 'Whistle' does a masterclass in this.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Yes and A Warning to the Curious too. Just leave it alone! But you know he can't.

[SteveDave]

How about Race with the Devil (1975) as a US entrant to the folk horror world?

I love this film. Like someone saw "The Wicker Man" but got drunk in the cinema and then wrote the script. A great ending too.

[Dr Rock]

It's a fantastic genre let down by the tiny few genuine examples.

Does Straw Dogs count?

[SteveDave]

I don't get any of the MR James ghost stories.

They're Lee and Herring going "Ahhhhhh...do you see?" come to life.

Not one I've seen (I've seen three) have been scary in any way.

"Ooooh shit the bed lads, a curtains blowing"

[Brundle-Fly]

I don't get any of the MR James ghost stories.

They're Lee and Herring going "Ahhhhhh...do you see?" come to life.

Not one I've seen (I've seen three) have been scary in any way.

"Ooooh shit the bed lads, a curtains blowing"

GET OUT MY PUB INN!

Actually, you remind me of a horror movie loving friend whose comment on The Blair Witch Project (1999) was "What's scary about some twigs?"

[SteveDave]

I bloody love "The Blair Witch Project" because there's a set up and a pay off and it's scary.

Is it folk horror?

[Cuellar]

Is A Dark Song folk horror?

I think it qualifies because it features an English person with a regional accent.

[Jerzy Bondov]

How about Poison for the Fairies (1986)? Mexican film about a couple of school girls messing about with witchcraft. Really quite disturbing! Check it out. A cool thing about this one is that you don't really get a good look at the adult characters, which puts the kids in their own little world and makes you feel the escalation of it all.

[studpuppet]

Is this Folk Horror? Is THIS Folk Horror? How about THIS? IS IT?

[neveragain]

Well, it's in the Woodlands Dark doc so I'll say it fits the remit... Wake In Fright! I did a whole thread about it: https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=85753.0  Get yourself to the Yabba!

[George White]

Also the best thing Rolf Harris ever did.
(He played the didgeridoos and wobbleboards, and advised the soundtrack).

[superthunderstingcar]

I don't get any of the MR James ghost stories.

They're Lee and Herring going "Ahhhhhh...do you see?" come to life.

Not one I've seen (I've seen three) have been scary in any way.

"Ooooh shit the bed lads, a curtains blowing"

If you want Mr James with all of the subtlety and ambiguity removed, Mark Gatiss's recent Christmas specials have got you covered.

[SteveDave]

That was also bad. John Snow looking like Bobby Ball. Mummies aren't scary.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I don't know where I heard about it, maybe on here I dunno, but yesterday I watched Tilbury (1987) which is an Icelandic TV movie set during the British invasion in World War 2. Anxieties about British soldiers on the shag mix with a very weird bit of Icelandic folklore to produce a pretty impressively disgusting and creepy production. It was good.