I like folk horror.
Its where superstition, ancient rites, witchcraft and paganism are at the heart of the horror, whether it be a novel or a film. Folk horrors are often set in old rural areas or old buildings and sometimes in the distant past.
Folk horror can be very unsettling and is enjoying a come-back, that's if it ever went away. Modern authors like Andrew Micheal Hurley and my brother Steve Woods revel in folk horror in their current books, Starve Acre and The Last of the Lancashire Witches respectively.
The 1970's was a golden age for folk horror especially on UK TV with the plays like Penda's Fen, Robin Redbreast and Muren.
The 1960's gave us the 'unholy trinity' of films too: Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw and the twisted daddy of them all, the Wicker Man.
BFI have a great chapter on the genre. https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/where-begin-folk-horror
Its no surprise then that Seventies and later Doctor Who episodes were sometimes folked-up to include folk horror.
There's a neat history of this on Dr. Who on the long-established site Den of Geek.
https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/doctor-who/67688/folk-horror-and-doctor-who-a-history
Do you like folk horror and does it work in Doctor Who? [of which I've only seen the very early stuff.]
Its where superstition, ancient rites, witchcraft and paganism are at the heart of the horror, whether it be a novel or a film. Folk horrors are often set in old rural areas or old buildings and sometimes in the distant past.
Folk horror can be very unsettling and is enjoying a come-back, that's if it ever went away. Modern authors like Andrew Micheal Hurley and my brother Steve Woods revel in folk horror in their current books, Starve Acre and The Last of the Lancashire Witches respectively.
The 1970's was a golden age for folk horror especially on UK TV with the plays like Penda's Fen, Robin Redbreast and Muren.
The 1960's gave us the 'unholy trinity' of films too: Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw and the twisted daddy of them all, the Wicker Man.
BFI have a great chapter on the genre. https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/where-begin-folk-horror
Its no surprise then that Seventies and later Doctor Who episodes were sometimes folked-up to include folk horror.
There's a neat history of this on Dr. Who on the long-established site Den of Geek.
https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/doctor-who/67688/folk-horror-and-doctor-who-a-history
Do you like folk horror and does it work in Doctor Who? [of which I've only seen the very early stuff.]
Big fan of the Folk horror movies you mention and rate 'The Daemons' as one of the best Dr Who stories ever.
ReplyDeleteMish.
Glad to hear it Mish. Yes, Daemons is great. There are a few mentioned there that I'd like to see. As for films I enjoyed The Ritual recently but was dissapointed with Midsommer. Have you seen them?
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