Not to be confused with other similarly titled films, television series or graphic novels, the latest Lore offers four tales that tell a story over a campfire. Perhaps, if the film had come out in spring-time when the camping season was in full swing, it would have delivered a more chilling message than in October, when people were huddling by the fireplace for warmth.
That’s just my preference. While either season will do for this collection of shorts where four friends meet up with a creepy dude (Richard Brake) to huddle by a fire, I had high expectations. They are on an off-season hike to meet this individual, and pretty soon, he’s setting the mood for the remainder of this film.
Out of the four tales offered, only three of them really hit the mark in defining what British horror is like. One concerns a mysterious demon type thing haunting a building (tentatively titled “Shadows,”) the other is your classical ghost (“The Hidden Woman,”) and the third (“Cross Your Heart”) is with cults. It’s best not to give away all the details, since the last one (“The Keychain Man”) felt like let’s make a slasher film in a movie theatre. I’m not one who enjoys the slasher genre.
That’s because with the last short, it’s tough to be original these days. And after long-winded franchises (with maybe a reboot nestled within), the appreciation for them is gone. Also, when this piece looks like filmmakers convinced a local movie theatre to let them use their complex, I’m not sure if this would be good publicity for them or bad.
At least the other tales occur in other places, preventing the set from being recognized.
Lore has a good premise to bring the tales to life. Although I didn’t notice it at first, a rewatch suggests that there’s more going on as these hikers settle down for the night, and don’t realise that perhaps the person they met is like an evil djinn. He’ll bring those tales to life, and although the confirmation doesn’t get revealed until much later, that shock ends on the right type of cliffhanger!
But as for why delay this film till Halloween, the ties that bind are not as solid, but I’ll watch it anyway when there’s nothing else on streaming to view.
3½ Stars out of 5
Lore (2023) Movie Trailer
