Apostle: wildly lurid but gripping folk horror that definitely gets up to 11 by the end

https://youtu.be/J1JdWOqc9Q8

Folk horror is an interesting cinematic sub-category. I have seen a few very fine examples, starting, obviously firstly with The (original) Wicker Man, and most recently Midsommar but this is a pretty good addition to the canon. It’s too long - we don’t need two hours - but in spite of this it does retain its grip through good and involving plot and character development. And no easy/ comforting solutions either. I always have respect for films that are willing to kill off what one thinks might be significant characters (particularly when they are appealing to the audience) and this film certainly not afraid to do that.

the sense of place is very well established (off the coast of Ireland or Scotland?) and the mother Nature aspect (central to the film and those of this genre, was quite well done. It’s always tricky to know exactly how much explanation and backstory is needed but I think that here the amount was just about right.

Performances were excellent and the actors managed to sustain the degree and intensity of suffering that they had to depict -and this was done VERY graphically. Not quite Eli Roth Hostel level (and done far better than him as not everything was shown) but, tbh, not far short in at least one scene.

And veyr good that a home-grown effort.

iBoy. Very engaging sci-fi drama with unusual and authentic London estates setting

Rebecca: visually gorgeous but dramatically bland, apparently very faithful, version of the Du Maurier classic