Starve Acre (2024)
Directed by Daniel Kokotajlo
When their son starts acting strangely, a couple unwittingly allow dark and sinister forces into their home, awakening a long-dormant ancient evil rooted deep in the countryside.
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4 films that influenced Starve Acre
What critics say influenced Starve Acre
He creates a world where the line between reality and nightmare is perpetually blurred, reminiscent of Robert Eggers’ The Witch or David Bruckner’s The Ritual.
In recent years, the likes of Robert Eggers’ The Witch and Ari Aster’s Midsommar have sparked a bit of life back into folk horror, a sub-genre that takes advantage of local legends and occultic myths for some sinister scares.
From the early ‘70s foundations like Robin Redbreast, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, and The Wicker Man to modern entries such as Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, the country’s contributions to that distinct subgenre have thrived and evolved across the decades.
However, nobody does them quite like us Brits, with classics like The Wicker Man and Witchfinder General, as well as more recent offerings such as Ben Wheatley’s Kill List and now Daniel Kokotajlo’s Starve Acre, all digging their claws into more terrifying areas within the paganistic culture that has been present throughout much of Britain’s elongated history.
Starve Acre’s exploration of how the past refuses to stay buried is reminiscent of Ari Aster’s Hereditary, another tale of generational trauma manifesting as supernatural horror. Both films force us to question the nature of reality, blurring the line between genuine supernatural occurrences and the projections of a fractured psyche.
Unfortunately for Richard, he’s found himself at the centre of yet another contribution to the decade’s folk horror resurgence, preceded by Ari Aster’s Midsommar and 2021’s Iceland-set Lamb, or in the UK by 2022’s Enys Men and Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth.
In recent years, the likes of Robert Eggers’ The Witch and Ari Aster’s Midsommar have sparked a bit of life back into folk horror, a sub-genre that takes advantage of local legends and occultic myths for some sinister scares.