Folk Horror Appreciation Thread

[Reno]

I have just watched the trailers for both. They appear to be horrendously derivative.

Neither is very good, though they were reasonably well received. I just mentioned them as they are Irish folk horror films. I liked Gretel & Hansel, which is more idiosyncratic and inventive than either of those.

 

[belboid]

Wake Wood’s a Hammer movie. It has some Irish dosh and is set there, but it’s a hammer movie.

 

[Reno]

Wake Wood’s a Hammer movie. It has some Irish dosh and is set there, but it’s a hammer movie.

The Hammer movies since its revival in 2007 have nothing in common with the classic Hammer films, they are mostly bland and they are merely flogging a classic brand name. Half of the films are set in the US, like the crappy remake of Let the Right One In and they look and feel like any other middling horror film.

 

[kittyP]

This is on the Shudder Channel from January 10th via Amazon Prime. Annoyingly that’s another charge but there is a deal at the moment for £0.99 for three months then to £4.99.

Hang on I don't understand.
It's not on Shudder.
So you have to have a Shudder and Prime subscription at the same time to watch it?
That is taking the piss

 

[belboid]

The Hammer movies since its revival in 2007 have nothing in common with the classic Hammer films, they are mostly bland and they are merely flogging a classic brand name. Half of the films are set in the US, like the crappy remake of Let the Right One In and they look and feel like any other middling horror film.

They are indeed crap. And they are indeed not Irish.

 

[krtek a houby]

Interesting thread.

We don't really have folk horror in Ireland.

This is quite terrifying, all the same

 

[Reno]

They are indeed crap. And they are indeed not Irish.

...apart from Wake Wood, which was a British-Irish co-production with a mostly Irish cast and crew, by an Irish director and an Irish writer, set in Ireland and mostly produced there.

Most Irish films are co-productions with the U.K. and most European movies are co-productions with other countries

 

[Knotted]

Hole in the Ground is or was on Netflix. It's pretty good until the last act when it becomes incoherent bumbling about in the dark. Other than it's woodland setting, I wouldn't call it folk horror though. Midwich Cuckoo sort of the thing.

 

[Reno]

Hole in the Ground is or was on Netflix. It's pretty good until the last act when it becomes incoherent bumbling about in the dark. Other than it's woodland setting, I wouldn't call it folk horror though. Midwich Cuckoo sort of the thing.

I think the rural setting and especially the concept of

Spoiler

a changeling,

a common figure in folklore and which it shares with The Hallow, just about make it fit.

 

[Knotted]

I think the rural setting and especially the concept of

Spoiler

a changeling,

a common figure in folklore and which it shares with The Hallow, just about make it fit.

Oh yes. Fair point.

 

[Idris2002]

Lads, it was a joke about the Irish folk horror thing, OK?

I needed the point to set up the punchline about Lord S., the PP, and the guards.

 

[belboid]

Lads, it was a joke about the Irish folk horror thing, OK?

It’s okay, we’ve agreed Jesus is a donkey

 

[Idris2002]

I will say this, though, I think there may be a peculiarly English angle to a lot of this (not that I've seen much folk horror in my day) which dates back to the collective trauma of the enclosures and the industrial revolution - events that are ornaments of England's history, but not Ireland's.

 

[Reno]

I will say this, though, I think there may be a peculiarly English angle to a lot of this (not that I've seen much folk horror in my day) which dates back to the collective trauma of the enclosures and the industrial revolution - events that are ornaments of England's history, but not Ireland's.

Not a joke after all !

You’ll find folk horror narratives and films from all around the world.

 

[redsquirrel]

Lads, it was a joke about the Irish folk horror thing, OK?

I needed the point to set up the punchline about Lord S., the PP, and the guards.

Forget your Irish folk horror Idris try Irish folk anti-horror(?), folk romance(?)

 

[belboid]

I will say this, though, I think there may be a peculiarly English angle to a lot of this (not that I've seen much folk horror in my day) which dates back to the collective trauma of the enclosures and the industrial revolution - events that are ornaments of England's history, but not Ireland's.

The enclosures went hand in hand both with the massive shift in the role of women, and with colonialism. Which gave rise to both witchcraft and a much wider fear of the dark (skinned). The three things, combined with the final crushing of paganism at the same time, dovetail neatly together and make up a bedrock of much folk horror, or British folk horror, anyway. Jacques Tourneur made the most similar non-English folk horrors, imo. Other countries obviously also have them, but they are based upon their own myths and legends. Thai horrors are largely folk horrors (well, the two I've seen both were)

 

[Knotted]

Here's a video by two youtubers with an interest in US history and esoterica with a commentary on The Witch. To be watched alongside the film itself, if you can stand their chatter. Historians and folklorists seem to really love this film, and I think they're right. Some interesting takeaway points -

The puritan witch hunters had an apocalyptic point of view that saw witchcraft as evidence of the end times.
The imagery of the film is more influenced by continental European folklore rather than English/Scottish/American folklore.

Anyway witchout with this.

 

[Orang Utan]

After noticing Jim Williams has just scored Titane (not folk horror), but also four of Ben Wheatley’s films, I IMDb’d him and noticed he’s also scored this recent doc:

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021) ⭐ 7.6 | Documentary, Horror

3h 14m

www.imdb.com

 

[Orang Utan]

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched is showing in London on the 29th August….at 10am!?

WoodlandsDarkAndDaysBewitched

All the films and events in FrightFest 2021

www.frightfest.co.uk

Oops mentioned already

 

[Pickman's model]

The enclosures went hand in hand both with the massive shift in the role of women, and with colonialism. Which gave rise to both witchcraft and a much wider fear of the dark (skinned). The three things, combined with the final crushing of paganism at the same time, dovetail neatly together and make up a bedrock of much folk horror, or British folk horror, anyway. Jacques Tourneur made the most similar non-English folk horrors, imo. Other countries obviously also have them, but they are based upon their own myths and legends. Thai horrors are largely folk horrors (well, the two I've seen both were)

Yeh. I'm not sure how enclosures gave rise to witchcraft. Certainly doesn't explain anything happening before enclosures eg the malleus maleficarum. Maybe you could run through this again with respect to eg Scotland and Iceland. Or pendle. And the final crushing of paganism? I'd be grateful if you could elaborate

 

[manji]

Watched this recently. Quite superb documentary, all 3hrs 12mins of it. Referenced nearly every film mentioned on this thread clearly a lot of work was put into it loads of film clips, made for the doc animation and score and took in folk horror from Asia, Russia, South America.

I am going to watch it again and take notes.

 

[Knotted]

Watched this recently. Quite superb documentary, all 3hrs 12mins of it. Referenced nearly every film mentioned on this thread clearly a lot of work was put into it loads of film clips, made for the doc animation and score and took in folk horror from Asia, Russia, South America.

I am going to watch it again and take notes.

It's on Shudder and I've kept my account. Awesome.

 

[Reno]

I watched the documentary last weekend and really enjoyed it. I liked that it stretched beyond what would be considered folk horror and there are a few films which I wished it had mentioned. I've also downloaded a couple of films which are in the blu-ray boxset, but haven't gotten round to them yet.

 

[manji]

I watched the documentary last weekend and really enjoyed it. I liked that it stretched beyond what would be considered folk horror and there are a few films which I wished it had mentioned. I've also downloaded a couple of films which are in the blu-ray boxset, but haven't gotten round to them yet.

I was particularly taken by the Native American chap ( I don’t think I’m spoiling anything ) talking about the Indian burial ground trope "the whole of North America is a burial ground "

 

[RileyOBlimey]

It would be grand to get a usable list of films referenced in this doc.

 

[surreybrowncap]

It would be grand to get a usable list of films referenced in this doc.

Hope this helps

Films mentioned in "Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror"

Every film mentioned in Severin Films' Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. Works not listed on Letterboxd: · Bagpuss (1974) · Boris Karloff's Thriller: "Papa Benjamin" · Ich-Chi (2020) · Sweet Sounds: The Music of the Arkansas Ozarks (1954) · Tales from the Darkside...

letterboxd.com

 

[belboid]

Well, surely that can't be Emily's Bagpuss, that would be ridiculous. Oh, it is, how ridiculously marvelous.

 

[Reno]

Well, surely that can't be Emily's Bagpuss, that would be ridiculous. Oh, it is, how ridiculously marvelous.

The documentary is over 3 hours long, it touches on lots of other works which aren't folk horror for context.

 

[Knotted]

Watched the Love Witch recently which I thought was great. It's a stunning 60's technicolour pastiche film with a feminist theme/discussion in a very on the nose sort of way. It's got a witch and a cult but not really folk horror until it suddenly and randomly folks things up immensely. So I'm going to count it.



Because that is indeed how you folk horror,

 

[RileyOBlimey]

Hope this helps

Films mentioned in "Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror"

Every film mentioned in Severin Films' Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. Works not listed on Letterboxd: · Bagpuss (1974) · Boris Karloff's Thriller: "Papa Benjamin" · Ich-Chi (2020) · Sweet Sounds: The Music of the Arkansas Ozarks (1954) · Tales from the Darkside...

letterboxd.com

Cheers!