The Winter of Folk Horror, Part 1: You Really Shouldn't Have Come (Robin Redbreast, The Wicker Man, Kill List, The Ritual & Apostle)

Send us Fan MailThe Winter of Folk Horror series begins. Part one of our celebration of folk horror, focuses on a reoccurring theme in the subgenre. People who are out their element, ultimately making poor choices, putting themselves in undesirable, usually unsafe, situations.  A woman finds herself seemingly being manipulated by the eccentric inhabitants of a small village. As they seem to be guiding her toward a potential mate, she becomes suspicious that her life may actually be at risk, in Robin Redbreast (1970). Edward Woodward is a police sergeant, investigating the disappearance of a young girl on the remote island of Summerisle. However, when Christopher Lee, the island's leader, and the rest of the locals seem completely unconcerned, it becomes evident that they have something special planned for an upcoming pagan celebration, in The Wicker Man (1973). How does a movie about a pair of hitmen find a way to cross over into the world of folk horror? Hey, you'll have to listen to us discuss Kill List (2011), to find out. A group of friends honor the memory of someone they've lost, by following through on a suggested hiking trip. But when they attempt a shortcut through an unfamiliar forest, they find themselves at the mercy of unknown forces, in The Ritual (2017). And then from there, in an attempt to rescue his kidnapped sister, a man finds himself infiltrating a religious island cult, who are holding her for ransom, in Apostle (2018).