Folk horror has only recently been recognized as a distinct subgenre, even though some of its most famous works—includingWitchfinder General,The Blood on Satan’s Claw, andThe Wicker Man—came out in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many folk horror movies focus on isolated communities that get swept up in dangerous superstitions, while others highlight the darkness in aspects of folk culture, such as music, stories, and rituals. Over the decades, what was once considered a British phenomenon has flourished into a worldwide fascination.
The 2020s, in particular, have seenan explosion of new folk horror movies. It’s hard to say exactly what inspired the trend, but the popularity ofAri Aster’sMidsommar(2019) and rising interest in folklore seem to be contributing factors.The folk horror movies of the last few years have proven that the genre is more than just pagans and stone circles; from the glacial valleys of Iceland to the ancestral burial grounds of South Korea, the settings of modern folk horror are more diverse than ever.
20’Saloum' (2021)
Directed by Jean Luc Herbulot
Set during a coup in 2003, a group of African mercenaries and the man they’ve been hired to protect seek refuge in a remote region of Senegal. As they hide out at an isolated resort, they start to learn about the spiritual significance of the place as well as their leader’s painful history with the owner of the resort. Soon, a curse breaks free, and everyone at the resort must fight for their lives as they’re swarmed by spirits that kill by sound.
Saloumis a refreshing bit of folk horror that mostly plays as a fantasy adventure mixed witha crime thriller. The mythology and folklore related to the surroundings provide an interesting backdrop for a story that touches on the real-life horror of child soldiers in West Africa. The ancient terrors that plague the group throughout the film providea poignant parallel to the trauma the main character still grapples with as an adult. The pacing of the film is a highlight; viewers are dropped into the action right away and are barely given time to breathe.Watch on Shudder
19’Dark Harvest' (2023)
Directed by David Slade
Every year, teenage boys in a small Midwest town must compete in the Run and kill a dangerous creature called Sawtooth Jack before it can reach the church in the center of town. The prize for winning the Run is a one-way ticket out of town, a prize so coveted that the boys would die for it–and many of them do. Most ofDark Harvesttakes place on the night of the Run, but a portrait of the town starts to emerge as a place that’s bleak, stagnant, and full of secrets. The shadowy Harvesters Guild that oversees the town may be a bigger threat than Sawtooth Jack.
Critics might dismissDark Harvestas a teen version ofThe Purgefilms, and the film is held back by some hammy acting and a premise that’s hard to swallow. However,the depiction of the nameless town as an isolated, regressive place has some interesting things to say about the urban-rural divide, as well as generational warfare. Thesupernatural figure of Sawtooth Jackmight push the film into fantasy territory, but the folk horror themes ground it real concerns that make the characters' predicament relatable.
Dark Harvest
18’You Are Not My Mother' (2021)
Directed by Kate Dolan
In theIrish horror filmYou Are Not My Mother, Char is a teenage girl who is already facing plenty of problems well before her mother, Angela, goes missing. Angela clearly has depression, unable to take care of herself and her daughter, but when she returns from her disappearance, something has changed. More than depressed, she seems possessed, and Char wonders if the person who came back might be something else altogether.
A significant number of horror stories deal with the theme of mental health, creating ambiguity about what is real and what is delusion. WhereYou Are Not My Mothertakes a turn to folk horror is through the introduction of magic and the folklore of changelings. A changeling isa kind of fairy creature that has been sent to the real world as a replacement for someone who was taken. Often, the changeling takes the form of a child, but it can look like an adult as well. When Char suspects that her mother’s behavior might be related to the supernatural, she turns to magic for a possible solution.
You Are Not My Mother
17’The Medium' (2021)
Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun
The South Korean producer ofThe Medium, Na Hong-jin, directedthe hit folk horror filmThe Wailingin 2016, so it’s no surprise that Na’s follow-up project showed a similar fascination with demon possession and shamanic rituals.The Mediumis a mockumentary that takes place in Thailand and follows a local medium who claims to be inhabited by the spirit of a goddess. The spirit must be passed to the next person in line through an elaborate ritual, and the medium claims that her niece has been chosen to host the goddess. However, the plans to transfer the spirit go awry and the family appears to be cursed for their failure.
The documentary format of the film is part of what makes it successful, conveying realism despite the supernatural occurrences.The Mediumis also known for being quite scary; the things that happen to Mink, the niece, are brutal and terrifying. Another thing that makes the story frightening is the idea of inviting a spirit into one’s body. The character of the medium has faith that the spirit is a goddess, but there’s also a chance that she might be inviting in evil spirits that have managed to hide their true nature.
The Medium
16’Candyman' (2021)
Directed by Nia DaCosta
A sequel to the 1992 slasher classic, director Nia DaCosta’sCandymanalso serves as a reboot that brings the franchise into the modern era. In the original film, Candyman was a figure out of urban legend who had once been a man named Daniel Robitaille, killed for being a Black man in a relationship with a white woman. The 2021Candymanexamines the way that the urban legend has evolved over time, with the story focusing on a different wronged man depending on the era. Like Robitaille, protagonist Anthony is an artist whose life is still affected by racism more than a hundred years later.
The film examines the effects of gentrification, as the Cabrini-Green public housing project, which served as the focal point for the original film, has been demolished to make way for luxury apartments.Folk horror is usually associated with rural spaces, but urban areas can also be a rich source of folklore and history. An urban legendsuch as the one about Candymanis tied to a specific place, and its impact can still be felt by the people who venture there. The past and present collide in ways that can be fascinating—and terrifying.
15’Wrong Turn' (2021)
Directed by Mike P. Nelson
Folk horror, with its suggestion that rural isolation can make people a bit twisted, is often in danger of falling into hicksploitation, a subgenre that mocks country folk as ignorant and dangerous. Earlier films in theWrong Turnseries focused on inbred cannibals living in the Appalachians, but the seventh installment, also known asWrong Turn: The Foundation, offers an interesting twist that’s closer toMidsommarthanThe Hills Have Eyes. The movie follows a group of hikers on the Appalachian Trail that runs afoul of a remote community called the Foundation.
The Foundation has kept itself separate from society since before the Civil War, and they will do anything to protect their chosen way of life. Periodically, they accept and initiate new members to sustain the community.The film is surprisingly thoughtful in its presentation of the conflict between modernity and traditionas well as the culture clash between so-called civilization and barbarity. An early scene, in which the hikers treat a local man with cruel condescension, reveals that the movie will be flipping the script on the usual hicksploitation tropes—a promising beginning to a strong story.
Wrong Turn
14’In the Earth' (2021)
Directed by Ben Wheatley
DirectorBen Wheatley(The Meg 2: The Trench) is practically a veteran of the folk horror genre, having madeKill ListandA Field in Englandprior to 2021’s pandemic-themedIn the Earth. Although the virus is only tangential to the plot, the social-distancing-induced isolation enhances the film’s sense of alienation. In the movie, a scientist and a park scout venture into a dangerous forest to look for a researcher who has disappeared. They find that both the researcher and her ex-husband have gone mad trying to communicate with an ancient woodland spirit.
Like Wheatley’sA Field in England,In the Earthis a surreal, psychedelic journey that will leave many viewers scratching their heads. However, the film’s eco-horror elements will resonate with viewers concerned about climate change. The message seems to be that there are some forces—whether natural or supernatural—that should be left alone. One character attempts to use science and technology to unravel the mysteries of the world, while another uses occult rituals. In the end, both approaches are shown to be misguided.
In the Earth
13’Moloch' (2022)
Directed by Nico van den Brink
In theDutch horror-fantasy movieMoloch, Betriek and her young daughter move into her parents’ house after her husband dies. However, the place where Betriek grew up is unsettling rather than comforting. The house is on the edge of a peat bog where archaeologists have been digging up the bodies of several women who were apparently killed in a ritual sacrifice. Even worse, the women are all discovered to be Betriek’s ancestors.
Folk horror is often about the ways that cycles repeat themselves, especially the cycle of death and rebirth.
Folk horror is often about the ways that cycles repeat themselves, especially the cycle of death and rebirth. This is why human sacrifice has become a reliable folk horror trope, with villagers spilling blood in exchange for a bountiful harvest. But sacrifice can also be a powerful symbol of generational trauma. The older generations perpetuate harmful practices that the younger generations try–and often fail–to reject. Betriek inMolochfinds herself caught up in this same terrifying cycle.
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12’She Will' (2021)
Directed by Charlotte Colbert
She Willis a fresh takeon the witch subgenre that deserves much more attention than it’s gotten. In the film, Veronica Ghent (Alice Krige) is an aging film star who goes on a retreat in Scotland to recover from a mastectomy. Veronica and her nurse Desi discover that the retreat is located in a region where countless women were once burned as witches, and the land is now contaminated by the ashes. Veronica and Desi both experience nightmares that connect their personal traumas with the historical persecution of women.
Krige gives a powerful performance as a woman marked by childhood abuse and grappling with her lost youth.She Willat times feels more like a drama than a horror movie, butthe moody, Gothic atmosphere delivers enough dread to interest horror fans. The barren, wooded landscape is beautifully filmed to emphasize the way that places create a connection between the past and the present, which is an enduring theme in folk horror movies.
11’Men' (2022)
Directed by Alex Garland
The surreal folk horror movieMenfrom directorAlex Garland(Annihilation,Civil War), uses the ancient fertility symbol of the green man to tell a story about toxic masculinity. In the movie, Harper (Jessie Buckley) treats herself to a tranquil country holiday after her emotionally abusive husband dies by suicide. At first, she enjoys some quiet time strolling the woods near her beautiful rental cottage, but she finds her peace disturbed by several men, who are all played byRory Kinnear.
Harper’s encounters with the men become more and more disturbing until she finds herself fighting for her life. The film culminates in one of the strangest, most unsettling sequences of all time. In British folklore, the green man is a figure who is half human and half vegetation, understood to symbolize fertility and rebirth.Menraises interesting questions about the concept of a male fertility figure, when women are typically the givers of life. Regardless of whether the film is successful at making its point, the ending is unforgettable.
