{"id":10674,"date":"2021-04-06T11:17:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T11:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/?p=10674"},"modified":"2021-04-06T11:18:03","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T11:18:03","slug":"the-maypole-cycle-folk-horror-afterlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/other\/the-maypole-cycle-folk-horror-afterlife\/","title":{"rendered":"The Maypole Cycle: Folk Horror Afterlife"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Maypole Cycle:<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Folk Horror Afterlife<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Chris Andrews discusses the resurgence of folk horror, its origins, and the notion of a 'yearning for the past' in a modern context...<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It\u2019s hard to say where or when folk horror first materialised. Look up the word folk<\/em> in the Oxford English Dictionary and it states:<\/b><\/p>

‘People from a particular country or region, or who have a particular way of life.’
‘[art] in the traditional style of a country or community.’<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0Hardly sounds that frightening, does it? Just to build on that, I would imagine for most the words ‘nature’ and ‘mysticism’ also spring to mind when considering the term folk<\/em>. Folk horror stories then can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, ancient Greeks, the Bible and so on. But it was here on these ancient British Isles and across the shores of Europe where the big bang of folk horror really took place.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0Perhaps it has something to do with our bloody history. For the past thousand or so years, Britain has been somewhat of an open house to invaders, each leaving a trace of their superstitions in the soil, some of which have woven their way into our modern world. To think, it\u2019s only four-hundred years ago since Matthew Hopkins was tearing across Essex torturing and murdering those accused of Witchcraft or consorting with the Devil almost doesn\u2019t compute.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0The stories are now legendary. Malcolm Gaskill\u2019s incredible 2005 book Witchfinders: A Seventeenth-Century English Tragedy<\/em> reads almost like a torture shopping list. For the most part, the grim tale plays out the same; a person in a village is unliked or has a dispute with another village member. By way of revenge, the villagers accuse the said person of witchcraft. In rides Hopkins to interrogate (torture) the accused until they either confess or give up the names of their fellow witches, who are then hung or burned until dead.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0Vincent Price would of course immortalise the role of Matthew Hopkins in Michael Reeves still brutal Tigon classic Witchfinder General<\/em><\/a> (1968). It would probably be labelled torture-porn today, but the earthiness of the locations and Price\u2019s detestable delivery have rightly so ranked this a classic in British horror. If Price sneering to his cohort John Stearne, ‘We\u2019re doing God\u2019s work\u2026 God\u2019s work,’ doesn\u2019t get under your skin, well, to quote the Black Christmas<\/em> (Bob Clark, 1974) tagline, it\u2019s on too tight!<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0So why then, if the risk was death, did these stories continue to circulate? There was clearly an appeal with witchcraft, the devil and the black arts and the accusers, probably, were more knowledgeable of the dark laws than those they were pointing the finger at. Of course, fear makes it easy to control, so it can partly be put down to that, but there\u2019s no denying the forbidden fruit has huge appeal. Did they get their kicks from sharing stories they knew could (and probably would) have them killed? Anyone of a certain age will remember what it was like to have a bootleg copy of Evil Dead<\/em> (Sam Raimi, 1981) or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre<\/em> (Tobe Hooper, 1974) hidden in their bedroom and worry the police would one raid your home to take it away. Were stories of witchcraft the Video Nasties<\/a> of their day?<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0Although the phrase was not been coined until recently and usually attributed to Mark Gatiss via his documentary A History of Horror<\/em> (2010), folk horror in cinema can be traced back to the very beginning of the art form’s existence. From the expressionist films of Europe to Benjamin Christensen\u2019s phantasmically phenomenal pseudo-documentary H\u00e4xan<\/em> (1922) which not only features a witches’ sabbath but an awe-inspiring black mass involving none other than the Devil himself, which remains unbeaten ninety-eight years later.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0It\u2019s no surprise, though, that as we basked in the heyday of British horror (the 1960s-70s), the output both on the big and small screen of folk-related horror really started to flourish. The aforementioned Witchfinder General<\/em> is now linked with Piers Haggard\u2019s dark and dirty The Blood on Satan\u2019s Claw<\/em> (1971) and Robin Hardy\u2019s hugely influential The Wicker Man<\/em> (1973), now affectionately known as The Unholy Trinity.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0While cinema audiences were recoiling in folk-fuelled fear, families at home were treated to all manner of dark delights. From anthologies such as the Thriller <\/em><\/a>(1973-76) episode ‘A Place to Die<\/em>‘ and Dead of Night<\/em><\/a>‘s<\/em> (1972) ‘The Exorcism<\/em>‘ dipping their gnarled toes into tales of witchcraft and devilry, Play for Today<\/em> (1970-84) occasionally shocking audiences with planned human sacrifice, and even Mrs Peel and Steed facing strange goings in little local villages.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0While youth culture was coming toward the end of the hippie movement, the open your mind<\/em> and be one with nature<\/em> messages were still very much in the air. Proximity to nature is undeniably crucial to the folk horror movement. What\u2019s curious is many of these stories are either set in the past or involve reaching backwards in time. Much of the time the protagonist has no truck with or is ignorant of the behaviours he or she happen upon. Edward Woodward\u2019s Sgt. Howie can\u2019t comprehend the blatant Pagan worship on Lord Summerisle\u2019s island, while countless academics come face-to-face with the impossible unknown throughout the M.R. James<\/a> ghostly tales.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0As the 90s rolled in the mood shifted. Shows like The X-Files<\/em> (1993-2018) which became a pop culture phenomenon was clinical and scientific. They may have dealt with the strange and unusual, but you could in no way call them mystical. But all was not lost, the cycle was about to begin again.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0Dare I say, folk horror is now considered somewhat trendy. The past six years have seen an incredible wealth of new material emerge from the ether, including fantastic zines such as Weird Walk and Hellebore, labels such as Folk Horror Revival and, of course, in film.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0Not to take anything away from them, but it\u2019s a shame a number of the films produced during this latest movement follow the tried-and-tested Wicker Man<\/em> formula when one only has to look back to those produced fifty years earlier or dig into some of the fiction old and new to see there\u2019s an absolute treasure trove of stories to be told.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0In fact, some of the best material to appear in recent years that most closely fit within the mood and feel of the genre aren\u2019t even horror. Mackenzie Crook\u2019s gloriously melancholic BBC TV Series Detectorists<\/em> (2014-2017) will leave you feeling warmer than a witch\u2019s cauldron and really taps into the old village\/community tradition feel, albeit wrapped in a cosy, quiet comedy. Crook also directed Worzel Gummidge’s<\/em> return, which again is full of country magic, and even manages to sneak a few scares too. A special mention must also go to Mark Jenkin\u2019s BAFTA-winning film Bait<\/em> (2019), a story of Londoners relocating to a Cornish fishing town and the clash of cultures that ensue. Miraculously the film manages to feel as if it was ripped from another era, adding to its unease.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0While it may seem strange that folk horror has chosen to make its return now, maybe the signs were there all along. Esoteric thinking has been growing for years, with an Esoteric section even to be found in some major bookstores, and like it or not, religion is still a major part of life in the UK. Britain (along with most of the world) is in a divide, with the likes of Brexit suggesting people yearn for the past (once again, maybe a past that didn\u2019t exist?). And as for the nature side? Not a week goes by where global warming is not a top news story, with recycling, solar energy and greener living hot topics.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0Does folk horror affect the way we live? Or were the incantations and rituals of modern folk horror mysteriously shaping our future. I guess we\u2019ll have to wait until the next cycle rolls around to find out, but if the stories have taught us anything\u2026it\u2019s dangerous not to believe.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Writer of nasty movies... Watcher of frightful films... Creator of crap Tweets<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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More To Explore<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTales From The Crypt (1972)\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
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Tales From The Crypt 1972 \/ Freddie Francis Where does one start with examining arguably Amicus\u2019 greatest portmanteau film? Well, for me, wiping away the<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe People That Time Forgot (1977)\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
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The People That Time Forgot 1977 \/ Kevin Connor The success of Amicus\u2019 first two Edgar Rice Burroughs-based fantasy adventures in 1975 and 1976 led<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tAt The Earth’s Core (1976)\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
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AT THE EARTH’S CORE 1976 \/ Kevin Connor Amicus\u2019 first foray into the science fiction adventure, The Land That Time Forgot (UK, Kevin Connor, 1974)<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Chris Andrews discusses the resurgence of folk horror, its origins, and the notion of a ‘yearning for the past’ in a modern context…\u200b<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[672],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/m-wrona-pCgxm-HDMNs-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}