𝕱𝖔𝖑𝖐 𝖍𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗

There is, however, a rich seam of all things folk horror in fiction old and new and I had great (evil) fun reading the below in the course of my research:

• Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
• The Changeling by Victor Lavalle
• The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology, selected and illustrated by Richard Wells

Looking for a group of long-missing children on a patch of moorland, podcaster Claire (Sophia La Porta) thinks she has defined her search area. But when she lays down her map in front of the police chief who once led the case, he reaches for a box and arrays five more Ordnance Surveys around it. His rejoinder – “That’s the moor” – is the equivalent of “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” in this redoubtable folk horror debut evidently inspired by the Brady-Hindley murders. You could also call it topographical horror, with director Chris Cronin using a simple set of elements – swirling mists, neolithic stones, baleful staring rams, chairs that look like baleful staring rams – to construct a formidable ambience on his fictional Holme moor.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16219937

https://bookriot.com/2023-stoker-award-winners-for-best-horror-and-dark-fantasy/

The Bram Stoker Award is a prestigious literary award presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) to recognize "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing.

Here are the 2023 Stoker Award Winners

• Superior Achievement in a Novel: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
• Superior Achievement in a First Novel: The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen
• Superior Achievement in a Middle Grade Novel: The Nighthouse Keeper by Lora Senf
• Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel: She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
• Superior Achievement in Long Fiction: Linghun by Ai Jiang
• Superior Achievement in Short Fiction: “Quondam” by Cindy O’Quinn
• Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection: Blood from the Air by Gemma Files
• Superior Achievement in an Anthology: Out There Screaming edited by Jordan Peele & John Joseph Adams
• Superior Achievement in Long Nonfiction: 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered by Sadie Hartmann
• Superior Achievement in Short Nonfiction: “Becoming Ungovernable: Latah, Amok, and Disorder in Indonesia” by Nadia Bulkin (Unquiet Spirits: Essays by Asian Women in Horror)
• Superior Achievement in Poetry: On the Subject of Blackberries by Stephanie M. Wytovich
• Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel: Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu, art by Soo Lee
• Superior Achievement in a Screenplay: Godzilla Minus One

Publisher Oni Press has been been busy releasing a new wave of creator-owned titles in 2024, and they won't be slowing down in the latter half of the year. IGN can exclusively reveal Oni's latest new series, a folk-horror comic called The Autumn Kingdom.

.The Autumn Kingdom is a collaboration between writer Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun) and artist Christopher Mitten (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.).

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Here's Oni's official description for The Autumn Kingdom:

Bestselling author Andrew Kier found the perfect place to finish his latest dark-fantasy novel—an idyllic, remote cabin on the edge of a lush Swedish forest. His young daughters, Sommer and Winter, gleefully explore . . . until they happen upon a strange clearing of ancient statues: goblins, dwarves, elves, and a warrior queen mysteriously missing her swordhand and weapon. When something sinister follows the girls home and viciously snatches their parents in the night, the sisters’ only hope may be that ancient relic, lost in the forest underbrush, waiting for a new champion to take it up...

With its folk legends of 'Dandelion Jack', candlelit séances, creepy kids, reanimated rabbits, and grim-faced stars, the rain-lashed and mud-strewn Starve Acre looks like it'll be right at home amongst its rural horror peers. Here's the official synopsis, offering some tantalising clues as to what's going on: "In rural Yorkshire in the 1970s, Richard (Smith) and Juliette Willoughby’s (Clark) seemingly idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when their young son Owen starts acting out of character. A sudden, tragic event brings grief and drives a wedge between the once happy couple. At Starve Acre, their remote family home, academic archaeologist Richard buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient oak tree that once stood on their land is imbued with phenomenal powers. While Juliette turns to the local community to find some kind of peace, Richard obsessively digs deeper. An unexpected discovery soon occupies the couple’s attention and dark and sinister forces, unwittingly allowed into their home, offer a disturbing possibility of reconnection between them."

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Starve Acre is set to release in UK and Irish cinemas on 6 September. In the meantime, we're off to pour some salt circles and stock up on crucifixes... better safe than sorry!

Trailer

Most horror films weigh in at around 90 minutes, but first-timers Paul Thomas (screenwriter) and Chris Cronin (director) are in no hurry, using the additional running time to draw the audience into a tangled web of grief and guilt. Although set in 2021, the film bears the influence of British ghost stories and folk horror favourites like The Stone Tape (1972), Quatermass (1979) and The Woman in Black (1989).

Cronin also employs some effective Blair Witch-inspired techniques, including documentary-style interviews and POV filming to draw us further into the story. But the score, sound design and pitch-perfect performances – not least from Edward-Robinson, who gave up a tech career aged 50 to take up acting – ensure the film’s considerable spell remains unbroken.

It’s a bleak, brooding tale, steeped in folk mythology and infused with so much atmosphere you may feel the fog closing in around you in the cinema.

Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark's folk horror Starve Acre has confirmed its UK release date.

The film, which premiered at last year's BFI London Film Festival to critical acclaim, will arrive in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on September 6.

Set in rural England in the 1970s, Starve Acre stars Smith and Clark as Richard and Juliette, respectively. Their idyllic family life is turned upside down when their young son starts acting out of character.

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Discussing the film in a press statement, director Daniel Kokotajlo (Apostasy) said he’s a "sucker" for English folk tales like Starve Acre, which are able to "put a spell" on viewers with their "attitudes and strange sensibilities".

The filmmaker continued: "It's not just horror; it ends up in a weird, off-kilter place. It can be uncomfortably quiet and sensitive, then suddenly it slaps you in your face with its oddballness. That was the aim of this film: to create a mood of nervousness.

"Making an audience nervous results in a whole range of reactions: tears, screams or giggles. It's my idea of cathartic fun.

"Starve Acre also taps into a timeless fear that feels more relevant than ever: the idea that returning home, to nature, and regressing into childhood, is a big mistake.

"The film removes the nostalgic, rose-tinted glasses and shows us that there are dark things, long-buried superstitions, awaiting our return."

The ancient grounds of the old St Werburgh's Church in Warburton were transformed into a film set for new folk horror, A Caution for The Wise.

And the 13th century church, based on Wigsey Lane, has since been described as a ‘one in a million’ film location by film producer, Gaius Brown.

Filming from both within the grounds of the old church and inside the Grade I listed building can be seen in the new short film which was released earlier this month and is currently circulating film festivals across the country.

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The short is loosely based on a chapter from the hit 2013 novel 'Skendleby', written by Nick Brown and also based in leafy Cheshire, in the affluent area of Alderley Edge.

While the old St Werburgh's Church was used as the set for the parish church in the film, other areas of Cheshire were also used during the filming of the horror, including the picturesque grade II listed Hawthorn Cottage located on Twemlow Lane in Cranage.

Stories rooted in Irish folklore have shown audiences time and again that there is something chilling in the Emerald Isles and Paul Duane’s All You Need Is Death is no exception. A haunted and haunting tale that weaves together ancient folk tales, Irish ballads, and cosmic horror, the film proves to be a satisfying watch even when all the pieces may not fit perfectly together.

Trailer

IMDb

The film is said to put “a folk horror twist on the story of Job.” Watch the trailer below.

“Joba and Quincy are a privileged, fiercely progressive Brooklyn couple – they buy the right things, donate to the proper foundations, and march for every just cause. But when their friend, Caleb, returns from a country pilgrimage challenging their bleeding liberal hearts, Quincy is initially skeptical. But when Joba insists they take up an invitation to the same off-grid spot, they are met by a kitschy cabin in the woods peppered with analog devices of a simpler age: a rotary phone, religious iconography, an Edison machine.

“And when a curiously labeled record plays a menacing message, Joba and Quincy rapidly learn that their bank accounts have been drained, their digital records erased, and their family businesses are collapsing. They try to flee, only to grow more enveloped by the woods.

Trailer

IMDb

To celebrate 50 years since the cult horror The Wicker Man came to our cinemas, BBC Radio 4 Extra is ‘sacrificing’ its normal evening schedule to bring you five hours of drama, comedy, documentaries and conversations connected to this unique film, its cast and its music.

The evening will be presented by writer, paranormal psychologist and Celtic pagan, Evelyn Hollow (Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist), who will be introducing highlights such as the world radio debut of an adaptation of The Wicker Man starring Brian Blessed (21:05) and the first broadcast of Christopher Lee’s Desert Island Discs in over 25 years (20:15).

Evelyn will also be offering up archive featuring among others, Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland and Ingrid Pitt, and in a specially recorded interview Evelyn will be speaking to the Olivier award-winning actress - who not only played the mischievous schoolgirl Daisy Pringle in the film, but who also sang on some of The Wicker Man’s iconic songs - Lesley Mackie (18:45 & 20:55). Come, it is time to keep your appointment with The World of The Wicker Man…

Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark's upcoming film Starve Acre has debuted with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.

Premiered at this year's BFI London Film Festival, this folk horror from writer-director Daniel Kokotajlo (Apostasy) is set in rural Yorkshire, England, in the 1970s. There, the idyllic country life of couple Richard and Juliette takes a sinister turn when their son Owen (Arthur Shaw) starts acting out of character.

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While the film — an adaptation of the 2019 novel of the same name by Andrew Michael Hurley — doesn't have a wider release date just yet, it sure seems to have wowed critics who have managed to see it. It currently sits at a score of 100% out of 5 reviews on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, though this is likely to change once more reviews are in.

Gwen is the debut feature of William McGregor, a writer-director with various prize-winning shorts and acclaimed TV runs to his name, including Poldark (2015-). His breakthrough effort, co-financed by the BFI, is a tricky film to define, but he has a very specific way of describing it for prospective viewers. “A slow burn, anti-capitalist folk horror would be the best description,” he says. “You have to add that caveat because if you tell people it’s only folk horror, they might go in with slightly different expectations.”

“I love Thomas Hardy, and I love folk horror. I love suspicion, folklore, tradition, beliefs – how all that affects us. I love the gothic, and I love landscape and the sublime, and all of these things just compressed themselves into this one film. I’m proud of the fact that it’s quite idiosyncratic. I think the best way of watching it is not knowing what to expect.”

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The film had three titles over the years, the most recent before Gwen being The Dark Outside, which was changed to manage expectations concerning the tone. That said, McGregor is adamant that he does want Gwen to be seen as a horror film: “I believe that it is. I just feel I have to add the caveat that it’s a slow burn. It’s about atmosphere and the uncanny rather than full blown jump scares. But The Wicker Man (1973) and The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), those films are absolutely inspirations. As are the BBC adaptations of the M.R. James ghost stories and even Robin Redbreast (1970), a BBC Play for Today, is, I think, one of the seminal folk horror films.”

“The first time I came across Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), I just fell in love with it. There’s another incredible film from the Czech New Wave called Witchhammer (1970), which I don’t think gets talked about enough in the origins of folk horror, but it’s one of the best films about witchcraft; the whole central injustice of that film still boils my blood now. Those are the films that inspired me. And folk horror is more than just The Wicker Man; it is broader. I think a lot of people would consider some of Ben Wheatley’s films in the vein of folk horror. It doesn’t just have to be something as straight up as The Witch (2015); it can be like A Field in England (2013). I think you can even call some of Ingmar Bergman’s films folk horror.”

Philosopher student Khoma Brut must spend three nights in a village church near the coffin of a deceased lady. The guy will read prayers over the body of the deceased, but there are rumors in the village that she was a witch.

Viy on Wikipedia

Award-winning director Daniel Kokotajlo made a real impression five years ago with his fiercely distinctive debut feature, Apostasy, set in an enclosed religious world. Here is his diverting but frankly more generic follow-up, adapted from the novel by Andrew Michael Hurley. It is billed as contemporary folk horror but borders on film-school pastiche, and “contemporary” means set in the era of The Wicker Man in the early 70s – a British world of brown corduroy, Austin 1100s, no central heating, odd locals and a persistent, sinister encroaching gloom in the countryside. The movie teeters on a knife-edge between scary and silly, and yet without that weird flavour of silly, the scares wouldn’t mean as much.

Just south of Mexico City, between the canals of Xochimico you can find a small island with a sad background which never intended to be a tourist destination. The island is known as Isla de las Munecas (Island of the Dolls).

Derek Simeone

In rural 17th-century England, a group of men gather to carry a coffin on the long walk to the local graveyard for burial. Much ancient folklore and superstition surround the pathway to the church, and several of the party are afraid to walk it after dark. Squire Marlow, the grieving father of the dead man, promises to double their wages if they agree to make the mysterious journey full of unexpected revelations.

IMDb

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/1204044

I saw Grady Hendrix recommend this on Facebook (sigh, yes, Facebook...I know, but plenty of people--like Grady Hendrix--still use it) and thought it looked fascinating.

Founded in 2019 by writer and editor Maria J. Pérez Cuervo, with art direction by Nathaniel Hébert, HELLEBORE is a small press devoted to British folk horror and the occult. As well as the magazine of the same name, HELLEBORE has published a travel guide (The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain) and a card game (The Magical Card Battle of Britain). A World Fantasy Awards finalist in 2022, HELLEBORE has been featured in Fortean Times, Starburst Magazine, Rue Morgue, SFX and others.

A group of old college friends reunite for a trip to a forest in Sweden, but encounter a menacing presence there stalking them.

IMDb

Link is to the trailer, should be on a streaming service near you and is on Film4 Saturday 26th August 2023.

Just thought I'd throw open a thread - if you hear any music you think is folk horrory then throw it in.

Writer Howard Hallenbeck is spending his vacation in the countryside of Ireland with his wife Elaine and their children, researching legends and myths for his book. Meanwhile, a farmer is trying to remove an old column on the field and accidentally unleashes the evil pagan god Rawhead Rex who begins a crime spree in the village where Howard and his family are lodged.

Availability:

• Arrow - Blu-ray
• Kino Lorber - 4k, Blu-ray and DVD, plus a steelbook

Trailer from Kino Lorber