A Family’s Descent Unfolds in This Folk Horror Tale

One of this year’s most atmospheric and dread-inducing horror films releases this Friday, and it stars a few familiar faces for fans of fantasy series like House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power—specifically Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark.

Starve Acre is a 1970s-set British film with all the trappings we’ve come to expect from the folk horror genre. Themes of resurrection, ancient evil, and the exploration of mysterious folklore all play crucial roles in this eerie tale.

Matt Smith stars as an archaeologist who relocates his family, including his rather eccentric wife Juliette (Clark) and their young son Ewan, to the moors. Given his field of study, it doesn’t take long for Richard (Smith) to become obsessed with an old oak tree on their lawn that has since vanished. Richard’s studies parallel their child’s behavior as Ewan begins acting increasingly odd in their new surroundings, culminating in some of the worst horrors a parent can ever experience.

Fans of the subgenre will find familiarity in Starve Acre as director and writer Daniel Kokotajlo draws from influences such as The Wicker Man. Based on the novel by Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre fully embraces the gothic roots of its source text to create a truly chilling film with some very disturbing scares. An ominous score expertly underlies these characters and their warped situation. You can feel the rot that has cored out the moors, once home to this strange oak tree that was the source of so much anguish.

Starve Acre might turn some viewers away because of its slow pacing. The plot meanders rather than pushing forward at a breakneck pace, but the film takes its time establishing both its characters and the ambiance, both of which are critical components of this intimate film.

Smith delivers a great performance, but the real standout is Clark, who gets a lot to work with, especially in the movie’s horrifying final act. It’s hard to describe her performance without entering spoiler territory, but she has a certain air of detachedness that lends itself well to the movie’s overall eerie vibe. One minor complaint is that the dialogue in the movie is often quiet or mumbled, making it hard to parse at times. The version I watched didn’t have subtitles, but they’re probably worth turning on if you can.

In short, Starve Acre is a captivating folk horror ideal for those who appreciate stories about ancient evils, old legends, and the type of horror that drives people to do terrible things in the name of love.

Starve Acre will be available to rent or purchase on VOD this Friday, July 26.