Tag: Folk Horror

Avalon Fast’s CAMP: Is It Girl Horror, Folk Horror, or Something More?

Our CAMP review looks at Avalon Fast’s latest girl horror film, a coming-of-age story of grief, ritual, witchcraft, and uneasy friendships.

Camp Avalon Fast PosterFor Upcoming Camp Screenings, Please Check Below.

If you’ve spent any time in the darker corners of Canadian indie cinema lately, the name Avalon Fast may already have reached you. Whether that is her legal name or the identity she wants the masses to latch onto, honestly, it is a cool name to have. It invites word association: Mention Avalon and most people will think of King Arthur. And, for a particular generation, Morgaine le Fay is a figurehead to remember because of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s novel. That does not necessarily say anything about Fast herself, but after Honeycomb and CAMP, it is hard to unsee when this talent’s works leans on folk horror, witchcraft, and feminine ritual.

After her debut with the former, which focused on all-girl power, and her latest which carries similar themes but with more of a folk bent, I found myself wanting to queue up The Eagles’ “Witchy Woman.” As it played during the incantations near the climax, that personal added texture made the film sing for me rather than drag. Fast prefers to call her style “girl horror,” and when her concepts focus on identity, grief, and reconciliation, what appears on screen does not feel especially supernatural or mysterious at all. That’s unless the people at Bohemian Grove are looking to lodge a complaint.

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When Unhinged Pasts Are Revealed, What’s Diabolic (2026) Is Sure to Scare

Diabolic blends trauma, control, and the supernatural into a hallucinatory folk-horror trip. While the film leans heavily on its past timeline, Phillips’ visceral style shines once the weirdness bleeds into the present.

Diabolic (2025) Movie PosterStreaming on VOD (YouTube, Apple TV+)

Aussie-made films can sometimes lean on the outback, or curiosity about Indigenous culture, but Diabolic takes a different path. Though the story plays out in the proverbial outback of Utah, I couldn’t help wondering why foreign investors were more interested in helping Daniel J. Phillips make this film than backing local creators. It’s not a detail worth nitpicking since the movie was shot in the land down under, but it becomes noticeable when the landscape feels slightly wrong for its intended setting. Maybe that’s part of the hallucinatory effect Phillips is aiming for.

After Elise (Elizabeth Cullen, The Bureau of Magical Things) leaves The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she thinks she’s safe. She’s moved on, but the nightmares keep coming. Elise has PTSD, and that’s the terrain the film explores more than anything else. Thankfully, her boyfriend Adam (John Kim, The Librarians) and her adoptive sister Gwen (Mia Challis, Outer Banks) are understanding. Trouble starts when they take a camping trip to get away and bring drugs along, hoping to knock down the walls Elise has built so she can finally feel whole and free from her past.

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Why Queen of Bones Feels Like an Alluring A24 Film

In a tale about two siblings, Lily and Sam must face psychological dread, folk magic, and slow-burn suspense to figure out who is the Queen of Bones.

Queen of Bones movie poster featuring main charactersFilmmaker Robert Budreau clearly loves A24 films—Queen of Bones borrows many of the studio’s signature elements, and that’s a strength. The atmosphere perfectly frames the story of siblings Lily (Julia Butters) and Sam (Jacob Tremblay), struggling to survive under the oppressive hand of their overbearing Protestant father (Martin Freeman). Every interaction with him carries weight, and the tension is palpable. Even the muted colour palette and the sparse, wind-whipped Oregon landscapes heighten the siblings’ vulnerability, turning the setting into an emotional character in its own right.

From the very beginning, psychological unease and a lingering sense of dread define the tone. Set during the Great Depression in the outskirts of Oregon, the story conveys survival as a matter of personal resourcefulness rather than community support. Every quiet moment is loaded with unease; the audience senses the siblings’ fear before any overt threat appears. This slow-building tension is classic: fear grows organically from circumstance and character, not cheap scares.

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A “Burning” Review of a Kyrgyzstani Film : Examining the Family Tragedy Where Duty is Fleeting

Burning is a psychological thriller from Kyrgyzstan that explores a family’s tragedy through multiple perspectives, blending folk horror with a chilling look at grief, guilt, and the societal pressures that keep communities silent.

Kyrgyzstan Movie Poster BurningSpoiler Alert

Very few people know where Kyrgyzstan is, and even fewer realise it has a growing film industry. Right now, that industry is innovating and expanding—and Burning stands at the forefront. Directed by Radik Eshimov, the film blends folk horror with a chilling exploration of a family falling apart at the seams. It begins with the mysterious murder of a boy whose killer remains unknown.

The story unfolds through multiple perspectives: the father’s mother, the grieving parents, and family friends—all searching for answers about Amirchik’s death. Farida (Elvira Sofiyeva), the family matriarch, embodies tradition and old-world ways. Often seen as the “old witch,” she firmly disapproves of her son Marat (Aibek Kudabaev) and daughter-in-law Asel’s (Nazgul Kenzhetay) plans for another child. Sofiyeva delivers an exceptional performance—both intimidating and commanding, demanding respect. Though she’s not my grandmother, the cultural echoes helped me connect her portrayal to my own heritage. Farida’s presence feels deeply matriarchal, even if her old ways cannot mend family rifts.

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In The Damned, Surviving Winter is Never Kind

Sometimes, being in the right mood helps make The Damned all the more haunting, and with regular cold nights being the norm for this reviewer, it’s certainly very chilling!

The Damned Movie PosterAvailable on Amazon Prime

The best way to experience Thordur Palsson’s The Damned is to turn off the heat! Whether at the theatre, where it continues to play, or at home, this wonderfully eerie film delivers solid chills when the viewing environment is perfect! That way, viewers can feel the cold as it settles. At the time, I had the temperature unintentionally dialed low.

In this remote 19th century village, Eva (Odessa Young) is now in charge and works hard to keep the fishermen from deserting. She was a wife to a fisherman who unfortunately perished in a shipwreck during their last fishing journey. While I’m not entirely sure how many people live in this hamlet, I suspect that the initial bunch of twenty something dwindled down to eight by the time this movie starts, and pretty soon, even those people are dying because there’s no food left.

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When tasting an Inhuman Kiss: The Last Breath (แสงกระสือ 2), What One Feels Is Not Quite Undead.

Although the sequel, Inhuman Kiss: The Last Breath took five years to get released, perhaps watching the first film is required to get viewers up to speed.

The Inhuman Kiss The Last Breath PosterNow available on Digital and VOD

After Valentine’s Day weekend, all I can say is that love bites. After viewing a Thai film titled Inhuman Kiss: The Last Breath, I’m glad to not be currently dating anyone from South Asia. That lady can be 100% mortal by day and completely monstrous at night! According to folklore, the Krasue is this nation’s version of a vampire and the belief in them is real. Even today, people report sightings!

Most of the encounters come from farmers. While some manifestations may simply be swamp lights than will-o’-the-wisps, the fear is justified. They flit about the countryside in search of a midnight snack. Although they are not true vampires, just why they exist does not differ from why the Beholders from Dungeons and Dragons have sprung into being. They don’t guard treasure, but instead need to satisfy a bloodlust. This aspect is one concept this film gets right!

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