Introduction: Beyond the Maypole
Ari Aster’s Midsommar brought the sun-drenched dread of folk horror to a new generation of film fans, becoming a cultural touchstone for the genre. Its success, however, illuminates a rich and deeply unsettling cinematic tradition that has been thriving for decades. Folk horror is a potent subgenre that draws its power from the soil, from ancient beliefs that refuse to die, and from the terrifying isolation of rural landscapes. It explores the clash between the modern and the ancient, the outsider and the closed community, and the idea that the pastoral ideal hides a dark, primal heart.
For those captivated by the themes of Midsommar and eager to explore the genre’s deeper roots, this list serves as a respectful guide. It delves into the foundational texts and modern interpretations that showcase the breadth and power of folk horror, offering a curriculum in creeping dread, psychological terror, and the enduring power of the old ways.
1. The Wicker Man (1973)
The Setting & The Outsider
Sergeant Howie, a devout and pious Christian police officer, travels to the remote Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl.
The Folk Horror Element
This is the undisputed cornerstone of the genre. The horror of The Wicker Man is not a monster or a ghost, but an ideology. Howie discovers that the entire island community has forsaken Christianity in favor of a cheerful, open, and deeply rooted form of Celtic paganism. His investigation is met not with hostility, but with frustrating misdirection and a serene confidence in their own beliefs. The tension builds as his rigid, modern morality clashes with their ancient, nature-based worldview.
Why It’s Essential Viewing
The Wicker Man teaches that the most terrifying horror can come with a smiling face. The film’s power lies in its patient world-building and its devastating conclusion, which reveals that Howie was never the investigator; he was the final piece of a puzzle. It is a masterclass in psychological dread, exploring the terror of being a lone dissenter in a society with absolute, unwavering conviction.
2. Witchfinder General (1968)
The Setting & The Outsider
The war-torn countryside of 17th-century England, where social order has collapsed. The “outsider” is the titular witchfinder, Matthew Hopkins, who travels from village to village, exploiting local superstitions for profit and power.
The Folk Horror Element
This film, a foundational text of the genre, explores the cynical weaponization of folk belief. The horror comes not from a genuine supernatural threat, but from the very real human evil that flourishes when fear and superstition are allowed to run rampant. Hopkins uses the guise of religious piety to enact brutal violence, turning communities against their own in a landscape stripped of law and reason.
Why It’s Essential Viewing
Witchfinder General is a stark and brutal reminder that folk horror is often grounded in historical fact. It is a powerful study in how societal chaos creates a vacuum that can be filled by opportunistic tyrants. It is less about the fear of ancient gods and more about the terrifying potential of human cruelty unleashed under the banner of belief.
3. The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)
The Setting & The Outsider
A remote 18th-century English village where a plowman unearths a strange, deformed skull with one eye and fur. The rational Judge is the outsider trying to impose order on the ensuing chaos.
The Folk Horror Element
The unearthed skull unleashes a demonic influence that corrupts the village’s youth. They form a pagan cult, growing patches of “Satan’s skin” and engaging in ritualistic violence and sacrifice to restore their demonic leader. The film is a chilling depiction of the “old ways” bubbling up to reclaim a generation, turning children against their elders and Christian morality on its head.
Why It’s Essential Viewing
This film perfectly encapsulates the theme of a community rotting from within. It is a chaotic, atmospheric, and genuinely frightening film about the seductive power of a primal, amoral belief system. It explores the idea that the idyllic countryside can be a breeding ground for a darkness that, once unearthed, can spread like a plague.
4. Kill List (2011)
The Setting & The Outsider
Two former soldiers turned hitmen, Jay and Gal, take on a mysterious new contract that leads them from the sterile suburbs into the heart of a rural English estate.
The Folk Horror Element
Kill List is a brilliant and brutal subversion of the genre, hiding its folk horror core within a gritty crime thriller. The film’s first half feels like a standard hitman story, but a growing sense of ritual and unease permeates every scene. The final act pulls the rug out from under the audience, revealing that the hitmen were never the predators, but were pawns being manipulated and guided toward a horrific pagan ceremony.
Why It’s Essential Viewing
This film demonstrates the adaptability of folk horror, showing how its themes can be woven into a modern context. The slow-burn reveal is masterful, creating a sense of dawning dread that is profoundly unsettling. It is a powerful example of how ancient, organized forces can operate just beneath the surface of our contemporary world.
5. A Dark Song (2016)
The Setting & The Outsider
A grieving woman, Sophia, hires a cynical occultist, Joseph, to help her perform a grueling and dangerous ritual to contact her deceased son. They seal themselves inside an isolated house in rural Wales for months.
The Folk Horror Element
This film presents a different kind of folk horror—one that is deeply psychological and contained. The “folk belief” is a specific, high-level occult practice (the Abramelin ritual) that requires immense sacrifice and mental fortitude. The house becomes its own isolated world, and the horror comes not from an external community, but from the immense psychological toll of the ritual itself and the terrifying possibility of what they might summon.
Why It’s Essential Viewing
A Dark Song is a masterclass in minimalist, atmospheric horror. It explores the immense personal cost of seeking forbidden knowledge and the thin veil between faith, madness, and the supernatural. It proves that folk horror can be an intensely personal and introspective journey.
6. The Ritual (2017)
The Setting & The Outsider
Four friends from university, now middle-aged, take a hiking trip in the remote forests of northern Sweden to honor a recently deceased member of their group.
The Folk Horror Element
After taking a shortcut through the ancient woods, the men find themselves stalked by an unseen entity. They stumble upon a secluded, primitive community that worships this creature—a Jötunn, an ancient offspring of Loki from Norse mythology. The film expertly blends the psychological horror of the group’s guilt and fracturing friendship with the visceral terror of a mythological monster made real.
Why It’s Essential Viewing
This film is a superb example of how folk horror can be effectively combined with creature-feature elements. The design of the monster is a triumph, feeling both ancient and terrifyingly original. It is a powerful story about how personal trauma and guilt can make one vulnerable to the ancient, malevolent forces that linger in the world’s forgotten places.
7. Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse (2017)
The Setting & The Outsider
A lone woman, Albrun, lives in a remote cabin in the 15th-century Alps, ostracized by the nearby Christian village and haunted by the memory of her mother, who was persecuted as a witch.
The Folk Horror Element
This is a slow-burn, deeply atmospheric film that explores folk horror from the perspective of the “witch” herself. The horror is ambiguous, blurring the lines between genuine pagan magic, the psychological effects of extreme isolation, and the trauma of religious persecution. The landscape is a character—beautiful, menacing, and indifferent.
Why It’s Essential Viewing
Hagazussa is a stunning international example of the genre that prioritizes mood and psychology over plot. It is a challenging and deeply unsettling film that forces the viewer to experience the world through the eyes of an outcast. It explores how the label of “witch” can become a self-fulfilling prophecy when a person is pushed to the absolute fringes of society.