This is a film still from NOVEMBER at Catford Mews, part of their Twisted Folk season (OCT to NOV 2021).

Twisted Folk, a season of folk horror films at Catford Mews (02 OCT to 10 NOV 2021).

It’s almost scary season & the lovely people at Catford Mews are rearranging their corn dollies & dancing round the standing stones to present a season of the best folk horror films from the last decade.

By RADIANT CIRCUS // Twitter @radiantcircus / Instagram @radiantcircus 

Unfamiliar with the ‘folk horror’ sub-genre? There’s a neat essay from Declan Wynne on the Catford Mews blog that will bring you right up to speed. But, if you got a recent whiff of the fungal spores creeping out of Ben Wheatley’s lockdown spookfest IN THE EARTH or have seen/survived either version of THE WHICKER MAN, then you’re already camping in the right field.

The season starts with Ari Aster’s MIDSOMMAR (02, 04 & 06 OCT) which Catford Mews rightfully describe as an “instant classic” (and had people collapsing in the aisles at Screen25…). Speaking of Ben Wheatley as we were, the season then continues with his sophomore effort, KILL LIST (09, 11 & 13 OCT), “a symphony of mounting dread and violence with a crescendo that will sit with you long after the credits roll” (Declan Wynne).

After that, the season serves up Malgorzata Szumowska’s THE OTHER LAMB (16, 18 & 20 OCT ), about “an isolated female cult with a messianic male ‘shepherd’ as its leader” (ibid). Then comes Rainer Sarnet’s NOVEMBER (23, 25 & 27 OCT – main featured image), which is possibly the title we’re most excited about seeing again in a cinema and about which our own twisted sister website TOKEN HOMO had this to say:

With so much derivative content, it’s rare that you find a horror film you can describe as ‘unique’, but NOVEMBER is just that; a starkly realised folkloric vision shot in extreme B&W. I particularly loved the rusty ‘kratts’, supernatural robot assistants made of metal and bone for lazy farmers with the help of the devil, kinda like C3PO in desperate need of some WD40. Highly recommended.

TOKEN HOMO

The season then wraps with Robert Eggers’ “masterful debut” THE VVITCH (06, 08 & 10 NOV), which is quite simply one of our favourite horror films of the last long while (including that fucking terrifying goat which triggered our own minor obsession with goats on film…).

This is a film still from NOVEMBER at Catford Mews, part of their Twisted Folk season (OCT to NOV 2021).

TWISTED FOLK: THE BEST FOLK HORROR FILMS FROM THE LAST DECADE screens at Catford Mews from 02 OCT to 10 NOV & is booking now!

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*THE SMALL PRINT: Opinions author’s own. // As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any errors. Updates & corrections will be made to the online version only. // Event dates/times/formats are subject to change by the venue/organiser. Events may already be sold out at the time of posting, so please click quickly. // We try to list as many original format screenings as we can (8 to 70MM), but sometimes formats change due to age of the print, availability, logistics etc, so please check ahead with your venue if the format is your thing. // All images are used in the spirit of fair use for reporting & review – no ownership is implied or intended / unless otherwise credited to RADIANT CIRCUS as the original rights holder. We will remove any images immediately upon request – just get in touch. // We don’t filter our listings by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should therefore be 18+. // Finally, we always try to follow The Carny Code by “not screwing up anyone else’s game”, but everyone can make mistakes… If something does go wrong, we will always do our best to put it right. //.