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Usually the domain of fantasy, fairy folklore becomes pretty dark when you dig down into the pre-Disney origins, especially when we consider Grimm fairytale literature as an early inspiration to such a cinema scene; some horror movies will run with that macabre genesis! Here are 5 films you can watch that embrace the nasty side of the Sidhe of Ireland – a nation famously rich with folkloric heritage.
Leprechaun (1993)
The elephant in the room, but not quite as silly as the wild sequels would have you believe. The original Leprechaun was simple and violent, its titular antagonist was a cruel and powerful force not to be trifled with. While not exactly following much in the way of traditional tales, no one was stolen away and forced to dance until their feet were destroyed. For example, it had something of a stealing away plot with Warwick Davis’s capricious Leprechaun wanting to force a young Jennifer Aniston into a marriage. Still somewhat silly, there’s a dark edge to the first in the series that carries some weight to how you shouldn’t be messing with the ‘Good Neighbours’ at all, or else there will be consequences…
The Hallow (2015)
A modern take on the otherworldly fae snatching away children, that does some interesting choices with bold imagery. Meshing together the traditional association of fungus to fairies, and a contemporary aesthetic of semi-science removed from magic, The Hallow is a visually arresting update of fairytale tropes – confidently featuring some innovative action scenes on top. That flaming scythe sticks in the mind long after the credits have rolled.
Infinity Pool (2023) Film Review: A Psychosexual, Phantasmagorical Nightmare
Despite having seemingly insurmountable shoes to fill, Brandon Cronenberg is proving himself to become a sophisticated auter with a deranged vision. His interest in pushing the boundaries and distortions of…
UFO Sweden (2022) Film Review – A Smart Sci-Fi Thriller From Sweden [Toronto After Dark Film Festival]
To believe is one thing. To know is something completely different. UFO Sweden (2022) is the emotionally driven sci-fi thriller that every fan of The X-Files needs to see. Don’t…
Winterbeast (1992) Movie Review – An Insanely Fun Slice of Regional Filmmaking That Defies All Logic
Winterbeast. Holy shit. Winterbeast. That’s about the quickest summation I can give of the feeling one has while watching this treat of regional filmmaking. It remains the sole creation of…
Don’t Look Away (2023) Film Review – If You Thought Mannequins Were Creepy Before…
It Doesn’t Breathe…It Doesn’t Move…It Just Kills Don’t Look Away (2023) is the story of Frankie (Kelly Bastard) and her possible descent into madness after she accidentally strikes and kills…
Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) Film Review – A Futile Effort
Anthony Hickox seems to have fun recalling the past that he managed to come up with another story about anachronisms and horror film icons in Waxwork II: Lost in Time….
Flesh Games (2023) Film Review – An Escalating Game of Cruelty [Unnamed Footage Festival 7]
Hailing from a dead-end suburban neighborhood in Northern Illinois, a group of friends have taken to idolizing the show Jackass and are eager to make their own version; calling it…
Troll (1986)
Frequently overshadowed by its glorious ‘disasterpiece’ of a sequel (which features 0 trolls), Troll feels more like an 80s fantasy movie for kids. Only leaning on the horror deliberately, however, as opposed to just being accidental nightmare fuel as with similarly styled movies. It has a weird amount of fidelity to the idea of the Aos Si, an Otherworld, that is colliding with our mundane reality. Troll is underrated, but too weird to be considered a forgotten classic. An interesting watch that will not become anyone’s new favourite, yet could be worth a movie night with friends for the curious.
The Hole In The Ground (2019)
Something of a companion piece to The Hallow in that it’s a beautifully shot semi-update of older ideas, this time using the idea of ‘The Changeling’. A tense thriller leaning into psychological horror for a lot of its runtime, all the hints seeded across the first two acts contribute massively into a climatic finale. A little slow paced at times, the gorgeous cinematography easily carries it through the quieter setup and consolidates the claustrophobic endgame.
Pledge Night (1990) Film review – A Ridiculous Piece of Trash Cinema History
With Covid restrictions lifting and vaccinations become more widespread, the idea of actually being able to communicate with other humans in the same room as you is becoming a reality…
Dirty Cop No Donut (1999) Film Review – ACAB
Dirty Cop No Donut is a 1999 faux-shockumentary, written and directed by Tim Ritter. Mostly known for creating low-budget gore films, Tim is mostly known as the writer and director…
Fall (2022) Film Review – It’s Lonely at the Top
Recently, the “adventure survival” thriller has seen a sizeable spike in popularity. Gone are the nastiness, the unbearable tension, the relentless bad luck and shaking-in-their-boots protagonists of survival classics like…
Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things (1971) Film Review | There’s something about Martha…
Established in 2009, the American Genre Film Archive is a non-profit which seeks to collect, conserve and distribute genre films in order to preserve their legacy. From shot-on-video slashers and…
Deadgirl (2008) Film Review – An Intriguing Re-imagining of the Zombie Genre
Deadgirl (2008) is an American extreme horror film written by Trent Haaga and directed by Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel. Beginning his directing career with It’s Better to Be Wanted…
Freaky Farley (2007) Film Review – The Perverted Hero We All Need
Farley Wilder is the local peeping tom in a small New Hampshire town, where his reputation has earned him the interest of a writer, Scarlett, and together the two begin…
Unwelcome (2022)
A 2022 offering, although the release schedule has been a little chaotic. This is a very interesting one, however, for drawing on the stories of a specific kind of goblin: A Redcap. These goblins need a constant supply of blood or else they will die, so what happens if they aren’t given enough offerings to keep them happy? They will come look for the nearest supply of blood, and they aren’t too worried about how they get it. Unwelcome is set to come to streaming services just before Halloween, and is set to be a great spooky season pick for 2022.
A post-apocalyptic, 80’s nostalgia, comedy creature feature for the Stranger Things era! **Minor spoilers follow** If TV series such as Stranger Things and that one episode of Black Mirror has given… The film It (2017) surprised me. In fact, I saw it five times due to how much I enjoyed it! Unlike a majority of modern horror films, it focused more… Life is a Train Wreck In the final days of 2022, most of us were looking toward 2023 with hearts full of hope, and faith that the moment those… 25 years after the original Woodsboro murders, yet another copycat killer in a Ghostface mask emerges. As the pattern materialises, and the new “reboot” rules the killer is following begin… The Human Trap, a 2021 film by director Lee Moon-young, is a bizarre South Korean indie horror movie that teaches us to trust no one and always look out for… Jonathon Glazer’s latest directorial offering, The Zone of Interest (2023) is an understated, yet powerfully urgent warning of how easily humanity can be lost if we are allowed to lose…Revealer (2022) – A Shudder Original Review
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The Group, a 2022 film written and directed by William Higo, is a compelling and thought-provoking horror/drama that delves deep into the complexities of addiction, loyalty, and the consequences of… Black Mold is a 2023 American psychological horror film, written and directed by John Pata. The film stars Agnes Albright and Andrew Bailes as two Urbex photographers, Brooke and Tanner,… Konnichiwa! Ni Hao! Dia Duit! Straight Outta Kanto here to put you off your dinner with the 2009 stomach churning Thai horror Meat Grinder. On the surface Tiwa Moeithaisong‘s splatter… Nowadays, it is hard to find a person among horror buffs or moviegoers in general who has never heard of the title Fright Night (however, I am afraid that there… Mexico Barbaro II is a 2017 horror anthology film, with segments written and directed by Diego Cohen, Christian Cueva, Ricardo Farias, Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Michelle Garza Cervera, Carlos Meléndez, Alfredo… In the not-so-distant future, death is a choice for some. Robert Holz’s first feature-length film, Restore Point (2023), is a masterpiece, brilliantly capturing the dystopian future that we all fear…The Group (2022) Film Review – A Not-So-Safe Space
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Luke Greensmith is an Editor at the Grimoire of Horror and an active folklorist as well as working in film across a few roles. While this can cover quite a wide range of things, he’s a dedicated horror fan at heart and pretty involved with horror communities both online and local to him. You can find their folklore work on the Ghost Story Guys Podcast, their own LukeLore podcast, and accompanying the artist Wanda Fraser’s Dark Arts series as well as on the Grimoire of Horror itself.