9 Shocking Folk Horror Films That Will Keep You Up at Night
Folk horror films have risen to prominence in the past decade. This horror subgenre features plot elements involving folklore, witches, cults, dark magic, rural life, conflicts between insiders and outsiders, and the power of collective societal beliefs in the supernatural.
Plenty of these movies contain explicit paranormal elements, but many of the best folk horror films do not. The cult in The Wicker Man, for example, fervently believes without evidence that performing ritual sacrifices will guarantee the success of their crops.
Will the cult become disillusioned if their crops fail? If the real world is any indication, probably not. The power of human belief is incredibly strong. Sometimes we cling to our most precious beliefs even if there is overwhelming evidence contradicting them.
A recurring theme in many of the best folk horror films is that the belief in the supernatural is more important than whether mystical things are objectively real.
A (very) Brief History of Folk Horror Films
There was a brief smattering of folk horror films in the late ’60s and early ’70s. This era produced three acclaimed movies, all hailing from Great Britain: The Wicker Man, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, and Witchfinder General.
After that, folk horror had only sporadic success until the 2010s, when it suddenly exploded in popularity. Its resurgence is similar to the wave of popularity that slasher movies experienced in the 1980s. Several of this era’s folk horror films are discussed below, including The Witch, Midsommar, and Impetigore.
The subgenre’s popularity has expanded to television and books as well, such as the Showtime series Yellowjackets and the novel The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher.
Why is Folk Horror So Popular Now?
There are multiple theories about why folk horror resonates with modern audiences. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that they became popular at the same time that social media started to proliferate.
Has the chaotic world of advanced technology made us long for simpler days, even if those times were sometimes dangerous and horrifying? Other theories postulate that folk horror films reflect current fears related to the environment, political polarization, and social decline.
Whatever the reason(s), the popularity of folk horror shows no signs of slowing. Here are nine shocking folk horror films that keep you up at night.
The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)
After a mysterious skull is discovered in a medieval village, the local teenagers fall under the spell of demonic forces. Led by the heartless and cruel Angel Blake (Linda Hayden), the cult engages in witchcraft and ritual sacrifice. Mysterious patches of fur, interpreted to be marks from Satan, grow on the cult members’ bodies.
Angel is a memorable villain who is ruthless to everyone, even her fellow cult members. Female antagonists were relatively unusual in films at the time. Witches were usually portrayed as ugly old ladies. Angel is young, pretty, and charismatic, qualities that enable her to manipulate the townsfolk and rise to the top of the cult hierarchy.
The murderous teens are opposed by The Judge (Patrick Wymark), a kooky local official who dresses like Cyrano De Bergerac. He rounds up the townspeople and they go after the witchy cult, leading to a violent, and somewhat abrupt, final battle.
It’s interesting to contrast the portrayal of witchcraft in The Blood on Satan’s Claw and Witchfinder General. The films have many similarities. They are both British medieval folk horror films about witches. In Satan’s Claw, the witch hunters are the heroes, but in Witchfinder, they’re the villains. In Satan’s Claw, the supernatural is real, but in Witchfinder it’s a hoax.
Stream The Blood on Satan’s Claw on Amazon Prime
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Little Red Riding Hood gets a modern-ish makeover in this weird, dark adaption of the classic story. The Company of Wolves contains multiple levels of storylines that stack up inside each other. It’s the film equivalent of a Russian doll.
The film starts with a modern teen girl named Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) who lives in the English countryside. In her dreams, which make up the story within the story, Rosaleen is living in medieval times. After her sister is killed by a pack of wolves, Dream Rosaleen goes to live with her grandmother, who tells her frightening tales about werewolves (the stories within the story within the story).
Dream Rosaleen eventually encounters the movie’s version of the Big Bad Wolf – a charismatic werewolf named the Huntsman (Micha Bergese). The barrier between dream and reality blurs and Real Rosaleen learns that she’s in just as much danger as her dream counterpart.
Fans of fantasy horror will enjoy this one. The werewolf effects are pretty good for the time (although not as good as An American Werewolf in London) and Rosaleen makes a compelling version of Little Red Riding Hood. That said, the movie’s abrupt and nonsensical ending detracts from its effectiveness.
Stream The Company of Wolves On Shudder
Impetigore (2019)
After narrowly surviving an attack by a mysterious man, tollbooth operator Maya (Tara Basro) journeys to the remote Indonesian village where she grew up in search of a house that she has inherited. She is accompanied by her best friend, Dini (Marissa Anita),
After arriving, Maya pieces together the gaps in her enigmatic childhood. She discovers that the village is cursed (every new baby in the past 20 years has been born skinless) and that many of the locals believe that the only way to lift the curse is to kill her. After Dini is kidnapped and killed, Maya is assisted by a trio of ghost children who try to help her escape the villagers’ wrath.
There are relatively few well-known Asian folk horror movies. Most of the films in this subgenre are from Western cultures. It’s great to have an entry about Indonesian folklore. Hopefully there will be plenty more excellent Asian folk horror films in the future.
Impetigore is loaded with nightmare fuel. If infanticide, flaying, and the ghosts of dead kids weren’t enough, this movie also features puppets made from human flesh. Sleep tight!
La Llorona (2019)
Anyone with even a passing interest in Latin American folklore has heard the story of la llorona (the weeping woman). It’s a centuries-old legend about the remorseful ghost of a mother who drowned her children after their father abandoned her.
La Llorona, which was produced in Guatemala, puts a different spin on the legend. It’s about an elderly former dictator who mass murdered the indigenous Mayan population.
After an appeals court overturns his conviction, Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz) returns home to live with his family and servants. Their mansion is constantly besieged by protesters, so the family is essentially trapped inside.
Their home isn’t a refuge for long. The family descends into chaos after Alma (Maria Mercedes Coroy), a mysterious young indigenous woman, is hired as a maid. Alma (this movie’s version of la llorona) and other indigenous spirits take revenge on the family that slaughtered them and destroyed their culture.
Anyone with an interest in colonialism and/or Central American indigenous cultures should check this movie out. It’s a disturbing tale of genocide and racism.
Stream La Llorona On Amazon Prime
Midsommar (2019)
After a grotesque family tragedy, a young woman named Dani (Florence Pugh) journeys with her boyfriend and friends to Sweden to take part in a festival. Unfortunately for them, the festival is operated by a demented cult that practices human sacrifice.
This is the movie that put Florence Pugh on the path to becoming a famous actress. She gives a convincing and genuine performance as the traumatized protagonist.
Along with the usual insider vs. outsider dynamic, Midsommar is about the fading relationship between Dani and her boyfriend, Christian. Their relationship is essentially over by the beginning of the film, but neither of them is able to summon the courage to officially end it. The collapse of their romance culminates in the film’s fiery final scene.
Visually, Midsommar is a jarring juxtaposition between beautiful footage of the Swedish countryside and grotesque imagery of torture and mutilation. Director Ari Aster gleefully shocks the audience every chance he gets. Horrifying images of torture, dismemberment and mutilation often pop up with little warning.
This film is often compared to Aster’s other movie, Hereditary, which is also about a cult, has a grieving female protagonist, and features images that make you want to tear your eyeballs out.
Pumpkinhead (1988)
After a group of rowdy teenagers accidentally kill his son, rural shopkeeper Ed Harley (Lance Hendricksen) plots revenge. He enlists the assistance of a mysterious witch, who summons Pumpkinhead, a giant demonic creature.
The monster mercilessly attacks the teens, dispatching them slasher movie style. Horrified by what he has unleashed, a remorseful Harley desperately tries to stop Pumpkinhead’s rampage.
The creature design is creative and memorable. This is no surprise, considering the movie was directed by Stan Winston, a special effects maestro who worked on many famous movies, including Jurassic Park and Terminator. The Pumpkinhead creature doesn’t exactly ooze with charisma, but he’s still a fun villain.
It’s a shame that this monster hasn’t been in more movies. Pumpkinhead remains his only theatrically released film (there is also a direct-to-video sequel and a couple of TV movies). Maybe I should have included him in my underrated villains article.
The script resists turning the teenagers into one dimensional villains. They are (for the most part) genuinely remorseful about the accident. Pumpkinhead could have taken the easy route by encouraging us to root for the demon. This movie is about guilt and grief. It’s not just some Death Wish-style revenge fest.
The Wicker Man (1973)
Policeman Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) journeys to a mysterious Scottish island in search of a missing girl. He is shocked to discover that the island is inhabited by a pagan cult led by Lord Summerisle, played brilliantly by horror veteran Christopher Lee. Howie clashes with Summerisle and the other islanders, who he believes are obstructing his investigation.
The conflict between Howie and Summerisle represents a common theme in folk horror films: the failure of a naive outsider to understand the dynamics of an unfamiliar culture. Their rivalry is compelling and both actors play their roles to the hilt.
Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled by the cult’s practices and mocks their beliefs. Summerisle and his followers respond with smug indifference to Howie’s arrogant ethnocentrism. They claim to know nothing about the missing girl’s whereabouts. Unable to make progress, Howie resorts to desperate measures to solve the case.
He also tries to resist the advances of Willow (Britt Ekland), the beautiful blond daughter of the local innkeeper. Willow sings a seductive ballad in the film’s second-most memorable scene. And what is the most memorable, you ask? Come on. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past fifty years, you know the answer to that.
The Wicker Man‘s twist ending is widely known, but somehow it still comes as something of a shock. Few films have the guts to end as nihilistically as this one does. Sergeant Howie isn’t particularly likeable, but his ultimate fate is still horrifying.
Stream The Wicker Man On Apple TV
The Witch (2015)
The Witch is about a Puritan family in 17th century New England who are tormented by, you guessed it, a witch. There have been lots of unlucky families in the annals of the horror genre, but few have been as unfortunate as this group.
The family is decimated by the supernatural sorceress, who lurks in a dense nearby forest. The baby-snatching, shapeshifting, goat blood drinking fiend succeeds in turning the family members against each other.
The witch’s ultimate goal is the seduction of the family’s teenage daughter, Thomasin, memorably portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy in her feature film debut. Thomasin is a rebel who rejects Puritan values. The witch exploits her understandable desires for freedom and independence by offering an alternative to her family’s dreary lifestyle.
This was the directorial debut for Robert Eggers, who is now one of the best-known folk horror filmmakers, alongside Ari Aster. The Witch has beautiful cinematography. It’s creepy and atmospheric, with a slow but steady buildup of dread that culminates in the film’s grotesque, disturbing final scene.
Witchfinder General (1968)
It’s the 1640’s. England is in the midst of civil war, a conflict that ultimately resulted in the beheading of King Charles I and the establishment of a republic under the command of military leader Oliver Cromwell.
A decade later, England decided that becoming a republic wasn’t such a great idea after all. They restored the monarchy, bringing King Charles’s exiled son, a hard-partying ladies’ man, back to England to claim his father’s throne.
But enough of the history lesson. Witchfinder General is about an evil man who roamed the countryside during that tumultuous era of war. Matthew Hopkins, a so-called witch hunter, exploited villagers’ fears by claiming that there were witches among them.
Hopkins, played by the legendary Vincent Price in a deliciously diabolical performance, is portrayed as a sadistic con artist who enjoys torturing, hanging, and burning innocent people. He and his assistants conduct tests to “prove” that their victims are witches and then execute them.
The protagonist of Witchfinder General is Richard Marshall (Ian Ogilvy), a Cromwell soldier with a beautiful fiancee, Sara (Hilary Dwyer). Richard and Sara plot revenge after Hopkins executes Sara’s uncle (a local priest) for supposedly engaging in witchcraft. Of course, this puts them in Hopkin’s witch-hunting crosshairs.
This is a brutal, somber movie that concludes with every major character either dead or emotionally destroyed. Its chilling portrayal of the destructive effects of collective fear and ignorance is as relevant today as it was in the 1960s.
Stream Witchfinder General On Pluto
Related Articles:
10 Awesome Giallo Films Every Horror Fan Must Watch
