Subtitled, A History of Folk Horror , Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, written and directed by Keir- La Janisse, is a pretty comprehensive documentary guide to films set in rural landscapes where terror lurks.
Essentially, folk horror is defined as “the juxtaposition of the prosaic and the uncanny” . At over three hour long, it encompasses themes such as misogyny, racism and a general fear of “the other”, psychogeography, the role of fairytales and oral storytelling, and their roots in current contemporary favourites like The Witch, Midsommar and A Field in England.
From British sixties and seventies staples like The Witch Finder General, Blood On Satan’s Claw and of course, The Wicker Man , it casts its net wider in the second half, to lesser known independent films set within Japan, Brazil, Germany and Africa.
The talking heads selected , including actor Ian Ogilvy, horror writer Mitch Horowitz, writer and film maker Dave Eggers and screenwriter and actor Alice Lowe, all provide genuine insight on how it is that folk horror isn’t a genre as such, but rather a series of films with similar aesthetic and thematic strands.
Although long, richly detailed and exhaustive, it is accessible enough for newcomers as well as fans, yet never outstays its welcome, thanks to the beautiful music, clips and animation. You’ll want to binge on films featuring obscure witchcraft and ritual strangeness, but bolt the doors and windows afterwards.
Available to stream and download online now.
Hit The North 
this looks and sounds sooo good
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It’s excellent. Eerie and beautiful.
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