Tag Archives: folk horror

The Witching Hour: Rediscovering Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf

05 Sunday Jan 2025

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Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf (1968) is a haunting exploration of the human psyche, wrapped in the shroud of surrealist horror. Often overshadowed by his magnum opus, Persona (1966), this film still stands as a remarkable achievement in Bergman’s illustrious career. Infused with themes of isolation, grief, sexuality, and fractured relationships, Hour of the Wolf delves into the fragile boundaries between reality and nightmare, offering a chilling portrait of psychological unraveling.

The film centres on Johan Borg (Max von Sydow), an artist tormented by inner demons, and his wife Alma (Liv Ullmann), who bears witness to his gradual descent into madness. Set on a remote island, their isolation becomes a breeding ground for paranoia and supernatural dread. Through Johan’s journal entries, we are introduced to a cast of grotesque figures—possibly products of his imagination—whose interactions blur the lines between memory, hallucination, and folklore.

Bergman’s use of folklore-inspired horror is particularly striking. The title refers to the time just before dawn, when the most deaths and births occur, evoking an atmosphere of heightened vulnerability. Subtle allusions to vampirism and lycanthropy further deepen the film’s surreal mystique, positioning it as a psychological horror piece with universal resonance.

Visually, Hour of the Wolf is a masterclass in unsettling imagery. Sven Nykvist’s stark black-and-white cinematography amplifies the film’s oppressive mood, while Bergman’s use of dreamlike sequences and fragmented storytelling creates an otherworldly atmosphere. One standout moment is Johan’s vivid recollection of an aristocratic dinner party, where grotesque characters mock and torment him. The sequence is both absurd and terrifying, encapsulating the film’s unique blend of existential dread and surrealism.

The film’s exploration of Johan and Alma’s relationship is equally compelling. Liv Ullmann delivers a powerful performance as Alma, whose love for Johan is both her strength and her curse. Her quiet resilience contrasts with Johan’s increasing detachment, highlighting the emotional toll of living with someone consumed by inner turmoil.

At its core, Hour of the Wolf is a meditation on the destructive power of creativity and obsession. Johan’s art becomes a metaphor for his deteriorating mental state, raising questions about the price of artistic genius. The film’s unsettling climax, where Johan confronts his demons in a surreal and chaotic sequence, serves as a harrowing depiction of psychological collapse.

Bergman’s exploration of grief and repressed desires adds another layer of complexity. The spectral figures haunting Johan can be interpreted as manifestations of his guilt and unfulfilled longings, making the horror deeply personal and introspective.

The Prognosis:

While not as universally lauded as Persona, Hour of the Wolf remains a standout in Bergman’s filmography for its bold fusion of psychological drama and horror. Its surreal style, rich symbolism, and unflinching examination of the human condition make it a compelling and thought-provoking experience. Hour of the Wolf is a mesmerising journey into the darkness of the soul.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Mandrake (2022)

09 Wednesday Nov 2022

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The mandrake; a plant that contains hallucinogenic properties that have stemmed many a recipe for paganistic medicines and rituals. Its roots take on humanistic features and legend has it that when you dig up its roots, you can hear it scream. The person who removes it from its soil would face instant death. In some cases, when taken internally the effect could treat melancholy and mania. All of which provide inspiration for the latest movie to hit Shudder’s Exclusive and Original platform. 

Buried deep in Lynne Davison’s directorial feature debut is a tale about broken relationships, mistrust and isolation.

When probation officer, Cathy Madden (Deidrie Mullins – The Frankenstein Chronicles) is charged with rehabilitating a notorious killer ‘Bloody Mary’ back into society, she faces a community unwilling to accept. This includes Cathy’s ex and police officer Jason Reid (Paul Kennedy – House of the Dragon) who may harbour his own reasons for wariness. When two children disappear from a neighbouring farm, fears rise along with Cathy’s own suspicions. These inklings lead her down a dangerous path that may either kill her or cure her own desolation.

The prognosis:

Mandrake is folktale embedded in the heart of a modern setting, but leans heavily into its origins. The setting of Northern Ireland helps to cement this fantastical component and drive through with a realistic drama as its narrative. 

The performances lend weight to this too and the characters are solid and compelling enough to have a dynamic composure to them, swaying your own personal alignment to them. This is a testament to writer Matt Harvey’s approach to the subject.

The pace of the film does drag in places, but the payoff is a strong one that has plenty to say on the subject of emotional turmoil and whether we can really heal from the trauma that we all carry around with us.

– Saul Muerte

Mandrake will be streaming on Shudder ANZ from Thursday Nov 10th.

Movie review: Moloch (2022)

18 Monday Jul 2022

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Having established a cornerstone of horror through what is commonly termed as nordic noir, it’s about time that another European country should stake a claim with that dark, folk storytelling. So, the Dutch step forward with something lurking in the peat bogs in the north of the Netherlands.

The entity in question seems to be honing in on Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) and her family, or those that she comes in contact with, suggesting that there is more than meets the eye to this mysterious presence that up til now has lain dormant. The last time it arose was when Betriek was a little girl as presented in our prologue sequence when something is heard above the room that she is playing in, only to then see blood seeping through the cracks aloft.
It also seems that an archaeological dig has unearthed the being known as the titular Moloch, and now anyone that stands in her path will succumb to torment.

Admittedly this film is a bit of a slow burner, but director Nico van den Brink (Sweet Tooth) is able to craft enough intrigue and mystery to the tale, fuelled with some great performances, well structured characters that you actually care for, and the added mark of something that feels like an age-old story.
The narrative ducks and weaves like a crime thriller, with our lead protagonist denying yet puled into this mystery that plagues her family. Just how far she is willing to dig, will determine their fate.

The Prognosis:

Too often, when European folk horror is presented with a slow burn, the content dries up and becomes pale. Moloch though is a cleverly crafted tale with strong characters and enough twists to keep you on tenterhooks. A surprising and comforting darkly Gothic story presented from a welcome new source.

  • Saul Muerte

Moloch will be streaming on Shudder ANZ from Jul 21st.

Movie review: Men (2022)

18 Monday Jul 2022

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“I wouldn’t recommend that film to my worst enemy”

What a tantilising phrase to hear someone say coming out of a movie. An older woman also in earshot took the bait and asked the couple, “I’m sorry, but what film is that?”.

“Men”.

Alex Garland, famed novelist of The Beach and writer of many Danny Boyle films of the 00’s has become one of the most interesting writer directors working in genre Film & TV.
As a creator he takes wide swings and Men may be his widest swing yet.

After the death of her husband a woman (Jessie Buckley) retreats to the countryside to process and heal this unimaginable tragedy but as she settles in her airb&b she is confronted by the deepening details of the death as well as the ratcheting pressure, looks and unsolicited opinions of the local men of this quaint little English town.

All of the men, bar the deceased husband, are played by Rory Kinnear. I had expected for a slew of different characters, a real scenery chewing showcase a la James McAvoy in Split, and there is a little of that. Kinnear has plenty of fun in parts but the film’s scale actually feels very small and focused. We never really get a good sense of the community which is often one of the key points of any folk horror story. The grandest display of the community as a whole would be one scene in the local pub. An almost uncanny valley sense of dread follows us when there’s more than one Rory Kinnear in a scene.

Jessie Buckley plays our protagonist, and we are so deeply with her throughout the entire film, watching her and her grief unfold. Buckley has been riding a wave of interesting and deeply introspective roles in the last few years (The Lost Daughter & I’m Thinking of Ending Things). She carries the film because she is our only consistency.

The film is gorgeously shot by Rob Hardy, Garland’s previous collaborator on Annihilation and Ex Machina, images of ponds and fields remind you of a Monte. We begin with an apple being plucked from a tree, and landlord of the rented house joking about forbidden fruit. The symbology plays centre stage in Men. The red walled interiors of the home, the apple tree out front, the abyssally long decommissioned train tunnel in the woods and the bald naked man running out of said tunnel. Daffodils in particular are a strong motif which starts, mids and ends the film, these weeds with the potential for explosive spreading, a true meme, self replicating toxicity.

Men is in fact so drenched in symbology that I honestly missed most of it in the moment, lost in the surreal dream of the tone and pacing of the film. It feels like a half-formed thing, filled with intent but without the hallmarks of classic storytelling that can make something like this more digestible. There is no mistaking that Garland had no intent on being easily digestible with Men. The closest experience I can liken this to is Aranoski’s Mother. Garland seems to be more and more interested in this kind of territory, with the last 15 minutes of Annihilation and most of Devs springing to mind.

The ending of the film is becoming something of a filmic legend already which is always impressive and I won’t spoil it here but its pretty horrific and truly one of the most bizarre sequences in a “mainstream” feature film that I’ve seen in a very long time.

The Prognosis:

This sadly ranks at the bottom of my Alex Garland list but I’m happy to have a filmmaker like him making interesting, weird and original works that I can watch in a dark movie theatre with a bunch of strangers losing their minds. 3/5

  • Oscar Jack

Retrospective: The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)

01 Thursday Jul 2021

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Mention British folk horror and most film enthusiasts will automatically strike up The Wicker Man into conversation, or perhaps The Witchfinder General. But where both these features were lifted by icons in the genre, Sir Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, The Blood on Satan’s Claw doesn’t have the weight of talent on display. It does however, like its counterparts, boast a cult following. And for good reason, as it marks an identity of its own with a unique tale spun by writer Robert Wynne-Simmons (The Outcasts) and director Piers Haggard. 

At its core, the tale that is woven is one of demonic possession in early 18th Century England. The oddities begin when Ralph (Barry Andrews) unearths a deformed skull from the ground, but despite his proclamations of the devil’s work, when it comes to proving his case before the local Judge (Patrick Wymark), the skull in question mysteriously vanishes.

Furthermore, when Peter (Simon Williams) brings home his ill-matched fiance according to social status, Rosalind, she suddenly screams through the night, falls ill and is then committed to by the Judge.

TBOSC has a way of getting beneath your skin in a curiously appealing way and when Peter starts to question his own sanity following an attack by a creature in the night only to find that he has severed his own hand. It also plays with the pack mentality too with a menacing presence led by some of the local youths, who gang up and hunt down their prey in the name of the prince of darkness. 

There is so much going for this film and it lures you in with its quirky simplicity and lifts the maniacal pandemonium that arises in a small town without any sense of order, led astray by their frenzy and beliefs in a greater power. Witchcraft is not a loose term in these times and with some strange happenings, decisions are made to stoke the flames of the occult. 

The mob will eventually rise armed with flaming torches to bring down the blasphemous brood, but will it be too late?

TBOSC deserves its place in British Horror hall of fame, and if you’re a fan of folk horror, this is well worth your time and is not surprising that it has influenced many filmmakers for holding true to its identity and not shying away from making its mark on the celluloid soul

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: The Ritual

15 Thursday Feb 2018

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A thick Swedish forest looms ahead; dark and foreboding. Four hikers on a boy’s trip decide to cut through it, veering off the path, to get help for their injured mate. Spoiler: this turns out to be a very bad idea. Like the promotional tagline warned; they should have gone to Vegas.

The Ritual is based on the novel by Adam Nevill. It’s the sort of book that plants deep roots into your head that won’t let go. The sort of book that makes you think; “someone should really make this into a film.”

And someone did.

Director David Bruckner (V/H/S) does a killer job creating a genre film of the ancient-Nordic-folk-horror variety. He excels at creating glimpses of things that may or may not be there, unseen things darting between the branches. You’ll find yourself nervously squinting at a wall of trees along with the protagonist.

At first, the bad omens occur in the form of a gutted deer dangling from a tree, then come creepy carvings and a Wicker-Man style twig effigy. But these are nothing compared to the true evil lurking deeper into the shadows.

As the intensity of their situation increases, the already rocky relationship between the men becomes more and more strained. They panic and lose their grip on reality, while we the audience clap our hands in glee from the sheer horror of it all.

You almost don’t want to know what’s stalking them; there’s a wonderful sense of building dread that gets somewhat tarnished when the cause of their distress is finally revealed. This is where the film loses its footing, and the conclusion won’t knock your socks off either.

The Diagnosis:

Not every genre film has to be ‘clever.’ The Ritual proves that when done well, there’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned, straight-up scary story.

 

  • Ellin Williams