The spirit of Halloween (not the store) was in the air throughout 2024 with the steady release of horror movies. They weren’t all winners, but with hits such as The Substance, Smile 2 and Terrifier 3, horror fans had plenty to celebrate.
Severin did their part for the home video market with the release of All the Haunts Be Ours Volume 2, which is the follow up to Severin’s bestselling box set to date. At first, I thought folk horror was a niche subcategory, but after our interview with curator Kier-La Janisse, I realised just how wrong I was. This collection contains 24 films representing 18 countries. There are some gems, other movies so bad they’re good, and a few duds. I encourage the uninitiated to use this set as a springboard into folk horror while more seasoned horror veterans will discover some deep cuts amongst the collection.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect:
THE GOOD
To Fire You Come at Last (2023) not only kicks off this collection, but it is the first of Shudder’s annual anthology The Haunted Season. The story sees a group of travelers on a corpse road. The group beings to unravel but is it due to supernatural forces or paranoia? Writer & director Sean Hogan’s story is haunting, and his use of black and white cinematography is perfect for this story and drives home its powerful ending.
Psychomania (1973) is about a group of motorcyclist outlaws make a pact with the devil for eternal life. If someone doesn’t find a way to stop them, then society will crumble underfoot. This movie is a wild ride! Psychomania is as entertaining as it is an artifact of its time – the colorful backdrop of the 70s only adds to the movie’s over-the-top attitude.
Who Fears the Devil/The Legend of Hillbilly John (1972) is a timey-wimey, supernatural story about a wandering ballad singer who battles the forces of the devil and his minions with his 6-string guitar. While the movie is a slow burn and the concept is over-the-top, it does come together at the end.
From the Old Earth (1981) revolves around a group of Celtics who would sacrifice a man and predict the future based on how he fell and convulsed. Centuries later, an artifact – a stone-carved head – is unearthed. At the witching hour, women around the artifact report having bizarre dreams about a menacing horned creature. Given the 47-minute runtime, this story is surprisingly effective and makes great work of its monster despite his minimal screen time.
The City of the Dead (1960) sees Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), a young college student, travel to New England to conduct research for her term paper on witchcraft, only to discover a startling secret about the town and its inhabitants. This is the crown jewel of this collection. I don’t know how I went my entire life without seeing this movie until now. This Hitchcockian film is well worth everyone’s time.
That does it for the best of the English-language movies. Most of the movies in the collection are foreign, and each movie presents a story based on legend, folktale, or fairy tale…
For example, The White Reindeer (1952) is based on a Finnish folktale. When a hunter leaves for the season, his new bride seeks out the local shaman to feel desired. The request comes at a price, as she is transformed into a murderous, vampiric white reindeer. This one is on the top of my list to share with other horror fans.
Scales (2019) is a Saudi Arabian film about mermaids. On a remote island, families sacrifice a daughter to the sea to ensure a successful fishing season. This movie is dark, and the powerful ending leaves me wondering if it event should be interpreted as empowering, ominous, or a cautionary tale.
Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit (1968) is about corrupt lord kills his master and tries to force his wife into marriage. Rather than marry the lord, she drowns herself with her cat in a cursed swamp, only to return as a vengeful cat-demon spirit. I loved the visuals in this movie and come to think of it, this is the first horror movie I’ve seen set in feudal Japan. Cat lovers might be upset with the “killing of the cat” but seeing a spirit that is part cat and part women might make up for it.
Sundelbolong (1981) is about Alisa (Suzzanna) former prostitute who tries to turn her life around after getting married. One night, she’s assaulted and raped. After committing suicide, she returns as a vengeful spirit known as a Sundelbolong to exact her revenge upon her attackers. This movie includes disturbing images of deformed children. I also loved the over usage of stunt dummies to achieve the Sundolbolong’s levitating effect.
The documentary Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic (2024) does a great job showcasing the life of Suzzanna and her rise as an international horror icon.
Edge of the Knife (2018) is about a man who accidentally causes the death of his best friend’s son. In his self-imposed exile, either the isolation has started to drive him mad or more sinister forces are at play. This movie is equal parts beautiful, sad, and brutal. The story is somewhat barebones but the depiction of it all works wonderfully.
In Akelarre (1984), the lord of Navarre, Spain starts a witch hunt. Villagers accuse one another as they are rounded up and tortured as a means of getting them to confess their dark pact with the devil. This movie has a lot of interesting ideas that parallel the Salem witch trials, and the depictions of torture are brutal. Even worse is how the torture forces a person to confess to crime they did not commit and accuse or betray others.
THE BAD
Beauty and the Beast (1978) is more accurate to the book in that the story focuses on Belle and the Beast, but the beast this time looks more like a birdman.
The Ninth Heart (1979) is about a poor student who rescues a princess from an evil sorcerer who requires the hearts from nine create the elixir of eternal life. The set design in The Ninth Heart is quite brilliant; however, the villain is a bit of a joke – he appears to be the prototype for Terry Kiser’s over-the-top villain in the Mannequin: On the Move (1991).
In Born of Fire (1987), an astronomer and flautist does battle with a djinn who wants to burn the world down. This movie might be one of the craziest ones in this collection. It has a bit of the sleaze of the 70s and the synth of the 80s. Maybe this one isn’t as bad as it seems, but it certainly isn’t good either.
Litan (1982) is about a husband-and-wife Jock and Nora who travel to the village of Litan on the festival for the dead. When Nora begins to have visions of Jock’s death, she pleads with him to level the town. Except the town has started to descend into madness. I couldn’t help but think I was watching a lesser version of one of Lucio Fulci’s horror movie. The synth score, the over acting, even the abrupt/dreamlike ending that is both definitive (we know what happens to the characters) but is a blessing or a curse? Unfortunately, there are no answers, and I’ve probably spent more time thinking about this than the writer(s) did.
Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf (1975) – a prophecy foretells Jeremias’s seventh son will be cursed to become a werewolf when the moon is full. Except Nazareno Cruz manages to go years without so much as a single incident. The young man has lived with this curse over his head, but it isn’t until he falls in love that either his lust has gotten the best of him or Nazareno is becoming something else. It does have amazing imagery of Hell in the third act, and the movie’s presentation of Satan who hopes to regain God’s favor is an interesting if not bold choice. That said, this movie is poorly acted, written, and shot. As bad as this movie is, it’s nothing if not entertaining. I’m certain that a drinking game can be made from the movie’s problems such as take a drink every time a line of dialogue is repeated. I’m pretty sure you’ll be drunk within the first half hour.
In November (2015), an Estonian village where it’s commonplace to see the townsfolk make deals with the devil, werewolf-ism exists, spirits inhabit inanimate objects, and the plague can take a physical form, a peasant girl Liina longs for a local boy Hans who has been betrothed to a baroness. This movie has a lot of striking visuals from kratts (the spirit inhabited objects) to the dreamlike quality when characters are on the river. This one isn’t so much horror as it is occult, but the unfortunate thing is the story gets bogged down by a lot of the ridiculous.
Nang Nak (1999) is a supernatural story about a wife waiting for her husband’s return from war. When he returns, he begins to experience unexplainable events. I thought this story was moving to a point; however, the last 45 minutes of the movie get weird and crazy. Once the established rules get thrown the movie lost me.
Both Io Island (1977) and The Rites of May (1976) are well made movies that were ahead of their time. While both stories are dense and convoluted, Io Island is here because the story seem to have a never-ending amount of revelations as the narrative continued to go back and forth with flashbacks and coming back to the present day. Whereas, The Rites of May has the opposite problem. The ending is great, but the rest of movie meanders until it’s time for the movie’s final revelation.
THE UGLY
The Enchanted (1984) sees sailor Royce Hagan inherit his late aunt’s family home only to find a mysterious family tending to the property. The story started out simply enough but got more convoluted as the movie tries to evoke a sense of wonder rather than tell a clear story. The lack of structure or explanation of the magic in this movie creates a sense of frustration rather than awe. It’s doesn’t help that the final sequence has more story potential then anything the movie presented.
Demon (2015) centers around Piotr (Itay Tiran) who’s wedding gift is a plot of land to build his bride to be future home. One night he discovers human remains. Rather than tell anyone, he keeps it to himself and begins to be haunted by visions of a woman named Hana. A lot of the characters were likable at the beginning of the movie, but as unexplained events begin to mount their lack of concern and how they distance themselves from the events made me really hate them especially Jansy (Tomasz Schuchardt). The story was easy enough to follow but it was hard to tell what might or might have not been real and the story eventually becomes as incoherent as some of the inebriated wedding guests.
Blood Tea and Red String (2006) is a stop-motion film about a group of aristocratic mice who commission woodland creatures to make a doll for them. However, once the doll is completed, the creatures refuse to sell the doll causing tensions to mount between the two groups. The movie is beautifully animated. While I’m reluctant to put it into this section, the lack of narrative made it a frustrating watch.
All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror Volume 2 like any collection is a mixed bag, but it’s sure to have something for everyone. Experiencing all these films was both entertaining and educational and is sure to make you a more well-rounded folk horror aficionado.
The collection is available now at Severin Films (link below):
The writer of this piece is: Laurence Almalvez
Laurence tweets from @IL1511
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