DARKNESS IN THE FIELDS: SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
A series of bitesize folk horror shorts from across the UK
All the films were screened at the Darkness in the Fields film festival on the 23rd of March at the Derby Quad Cinema.
How does one sum up a genre as broad as folk horror? A genre that is so dependent on local legend and word of mouth; one that keeps one foot in the real world, often forgoing the more spectacular aspects of horror cinema, while also building a sense of uncanny dread.
For the Darkness in the Fields film festival, the answer was to kick things off with a quartet of shorts – each taking a very different approach to the genre.
Two of the shorts steered close to what we can call classic folk horror. Sarah Laita’s BecoME sees two friends venture into the Lapland wilderness to track the Northern Lights. Toya (Amber Goman) is insistent that the two should completely disconnect from the modern world and embrace their natural surroundings, while Sophie (Funso Foluso-Henry) is more interested in documenting their journey. When Toya suggests that they both take LSD on the trip, the tales of Finnish folklore come to the fore.
Laita shows real skill with her tight scripting and clear visual style, brought to life by the excellent performances of the two leads. Unfortunately, it just needed something more. Much of the lore is quickly dropped into conversation during one scene – creating an awkward middle ground where too much is revealed for it to be truly ambiguous but not enough for the film to feel conclusive. Visually, however, it’s a stunning piece of work, with the masked figure that haunts the pair (played by Chris Watson) kept just far enough out of the forefront to have you constantly checking subsequent scenes for glimpses of them.
We were lucky enough to see The Wyrm of Bwlch Pen Barras from writer/director Craig Williams a couple of months ago when it was added to Arrow Player’s short film collection. Needless to say, seeing this gorgeous piece of work on the big screen only enhanced the feeling of dread. Check out our full review at the link below.
NON-CANONICAL: ARROW’S SHARP SHORTS
A collection of short horror films streaming on Arrow in February. Trigger warnings for discussions of depression and mental health.
Blackthorn added a little more humour to proceedings, with writer/director Christopher Ratcliff taking the outsider cliché that has been a key part of folk horror storytelling and moving it to a seemingly normal, leafy suburb. Sidsel Rostrup and Kahmal Seasley star as married couple Tobi and Wes, who move out of London into the village and quickly find themselves in the centre of some unsettling traditions.
Well, Tobi does. Despite Wes being the one to instigate the move, his work means that Tobi attends their first invitation alone – leading to a very funny sequence where she is too polite to refuse any of the offers or requests from her new neighbours, even as they grow progressively more forceful.
This very British sense of manners drives the plot, as Tobi finds herself in over her head. Ratcliff has a great sense of pacing and knows exactly when to put an end to the very English brand of humour and start amping up the tension, leading to a very well put together, if slightly predictable ending.
Diving headfirst into the comedy is Craig Sinclair’s Blight, which follows medieval farming couple Francis (Chris Jenkins) and his wife Anne (Frankie Gold). After a genuinely creepy encounter with an entity called Mother Goose (Izzie Major), Francis is cursed with hiccups. Hiccups that never stop and which interfere with every aspect of his day.
It's a light-hearted take on curses, which Sinclair escalates to gross-out comedy. By the end of the film, there’s vomit, sex jokes and more, all just about kept on track by the game performances of the cast. At times, it’s a little too broad, but there are some laugh-out-loud moments here. Jenkins and Gold addressing the camera provide some deadpan chuckles, as do their attempts at copulation – though this gives way to one of the more egregious pieces of toilet humour in the piece.
But Sinclair clearly has a deep love for the genre, doing his best to wrap the ridiculousness of proceedings with time-accurate costumes and scripting. While Blight will no doubt be divisive, those who were wishing that Blood on Satan’s Claw had a few more fart jokes will find a lot to enjoy here.