STARVE ACRE
****
Directed by Daniel Kokotajilo.
Starring Matt Smith. Morfydd Clark, Sean Gilder.
Horror, UK, 98 minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in cinemas in the UK on 6th September by BFI Distribution
The land holds many secrets, seeming to possess a certain malevolence in this slice of smartly observed folk horror, based on Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel. This adaptation, co-written by Hurley with director Daniel Kokotajilo, takes viewers back to the 1970’s in this tale of rituals, sorrow and secrets set amongst the windswept, drizzly landscape of Northern England.
Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, returning to horror after her blistering turn in SAINT MAUD, play husband and wife Richard and Juliette, parents to their young son Owen. After a troubling incident at a Yorkshire village fair, the parents are disturbed to learn that Owen has been hearing a whistling noise from Jack Grey, a mythical figure who is said to have roamed the land in the distant past, a figure that was used to scare Richard himself as a child by his own cruel father. As well as Owen’s troubles it soon becomes apparent that Richard is dealing with his own issues relating to his own upbringing after relocating his family to his childhood home. Events come to a head after a tragic, mysterious accident with Richard and Juliette soon discovering the malevolent secrets of the past that lurk in the land all around them.
After the contemporary styling of his previous directorial offering APOSTASY, Kokotajilo plunges into this particular sub-genre with both feet here. The results are pleasing on a number of levels. Superficially the period look is spot on, the grainy film texture capturing that cold late 70’s British vibe effortlessly without overindulging itself. Co-produced by the BBC, the film also captures the stylings of the broadcasters much loved GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS plays, particularly STIGMA, a story that broke from convention and set itself in the then present day to tell the story of an unearthed ancient monument that wreaks havoc on a modern day household. The director, along with cinematographer Adam Scarth, capture the threatening and otherworldly nature of the desolate and unforgiving Yorkshire countryside, transforming it into something truly malevolent as its own secrets are uncovered in increasingly sinister style.
Smith and Clark also provide strong work here, taking a break from their respective roles in the TV fantasy prequels series HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and LORD OF THE RINGS. Their portraits of grief stricken parents gradually being overcome by an unknowable and evil outside force are especially worthy as they never descend to histrionics. The film itself keeps its cards close to its chest, gradually revealing the disturbing truth through a slow-burn approach that lights up nicely in the final stretch where the true nature of what is happening is chillingly revealed in all its unearthly glory.
Some may find the final stretch a tad ridiculous when compared to the measured approach that has been displayed up until then, especially through the use of a resurrected animal that at times recalls the conceit of Stephen King’s PET SEMATARY. Hurley and Kokotajilo however manage to spin things out differently here in a way that celebrates the heritage and trappings of British folk horror in its own downbeat and fate driven style. Fans of folk horror, especially those who tuned into the genre through Kier-La Janisse’s seminal documentary WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED will find themselves in Pagan Heaven, while those looking for a distinctive scare should be just as satisfied and disturbed.
Iain MacLeod
