DARKNESS IN THE FIELDS: TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST
Walking the corpse road
To Fire You Come at Last was screened at the Darkness in the Fields film festival on the 23rd of March at the Derby Quad Cinema.
As you would expect, there are many myths and legends around corpse roads – the paths on which corpses were carried on the way to be buried. This makes it ideal source material for folk horror, and Sean Hogan dives deep into the mythology for his mini feature To Fire Come at Last.
Shot in gorgeous black and white, the film follows Squire Marlow (Mark Carlisle), as he attempts to carry the body of his son Aldis to the burial ground. He is joined by Aldis’ friend Holt (Harry Roebuck), one of the Marlow staff Pike (Richard Rowden) and local vagabond Ransley (James Swanton). Holt is nervous about the walk as the light begins to fade, believing superstitions about black dogs and restless spirits but the film doesn’t focus particularly on these, instead, Hogan produces a dialogue-heavy character piece.
As they walk to the church, the conversation turns to the departed Aldis and it is revealed that each character has, in turn, hurt or betrayed the young master. These interactions allow for snippets of backstory to be introduced.
Class is a major part of the film, as all four characters are at different points of the social ladder. Marlow technically has control but is at the whim of those beneath him because he requires their assistance. Ransley is at the bottom of the pile but makes up for this with local knowledge and gossip that allows him to manipulate the situation in his favour.
As the film is so dialogue-heavy, the performances needed to be good. Luckily, the cast is fully dedicated, tackling the verbose writing with aplomb to bring to life the characters in a believable way. Swanton – who is perhaps better known for his more physical roles as the respective demons in Rob Savage’s Host and Dashcam – is a highlight; switching between a pleading waste and a sneering gossip almost line-to-line as he tries to avoid punishment for his deeds.
The black-and-white cinematography brings a natural atmosphere to the piece. The darkness around the four characters is all-encompassing, broken only by the small circles of light from the lanterns. This leads to some incredibly effective moments where characters are literally swallowed by the night and negates the need for any creatures or ghosts to appear.
These parts elevate the film, which at its hard is a folk horror-inspired chamber piece – much like the work of Sally Potter – in which the characters incriminate themselves through conversation. It builds to a well-done, if very predictable ending, taking a sharp turn into folk horror. However, the atmosphere stays with you, and Hogan’s choice to avoid many of the generic trappings of the genre helps the film stand out.
Writer/Director: Sean Hogan
Starring: Mark Carlisle, Harry Roebuck, Richard Rowden, James Swanton