Lore Review: Brit-Horror Anthology Spins Gruesome Tales by the Campfire

Anthology films are notoriously hard to pull off but, despite a shaky start, this low-budget British portmanteau has a trump card: horror veteran Richard Brake, whose grimy leer usually signals something chilling. In “Lore,” he plays a Cryptkeeper-like host guiding four hikers through an “immersive” experience in the wilds, telling them they’ve pitched their tents on the site of an ancient evil. This campfire narrator invites them to share their most blood-chilling tales.

The boys, Mark (Dean Bone) and Dan (Miles Mitchell), keep it basic. Mark recounts a warehouse chase involving a gang fugitive Daniel (Andrew-Lee Potts) who confronts a saw-toothed monster with a psychological twist at the end. Dan’s story is a typical gothic haunted house scenario where a ghostly ballerina torments a mother and son. Both stories, especially the latter, are competently executed but lack the backstory or mystery one would expect from a film called “Lore.”

Thankfully, the girls raise the stakes and add some comedy. Donna (Sally Collett) imagines a hotel-set revenge story where a lecherous husband (Rufus Hound) drags his unwilling wife (Katie Sheridan) to a swingers’ night. The story ends up feeling like a mix of Ari Aster and Alan Partridge with a satisfying dose of gore. Lastly, Sally (Samantha Neal) takes a meta approach with a giallo-style rampage in a multiplex, where the colossal concessions stand worker, Gareth, gets his comeuppance. Both stories cleverly incorporate everyday mundanities in extreme ways; for instance, suffocation in a popcorn bin is a fresh idea.

Brake does his best to tie everything together, but the film ventures further into meta territory in a confusing coda that blends reality and fiction. Although it feels cobbled together, there’s just enough attitude to satisfy hardcore horror fans.

• “Lore” is available on Icon Film Channel from August 26 and in UK cinemas from September 27.

Source: The Guardian