A Look into Folk Horror with Kier-La Janisse

In the presence of Kier-La Janisse

Folklore, legend and superstition have always inspired filmmakers around the world, each continent producing its share of ungodly films to be poured onto sensation-hungry screens. Such films, with their strong fantasy-horrific leanings, have been objects of obsession for North-American essay writer Kier-La Janisse. She devoted a breathtakingly rich 3 hours and 15 minute-long (!) documentary to them, deconstructing the way in which this sub-genre has proliferated over the last five decades. For illustration, we thought it natural to bring forth a few examples. Rather than offering the classic must-sees (Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man (1973) comes to mind), we turned to «small» rarities for curious filmgoers, freshly dusted off by publisher Severin Films.

The films:
> Alison's Birthday - Ian Coughlan, 1979, Australia, 97'
> Eyes of Fire - Avery Crounse, 1983, USA, 86'
> Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror - Kier-La Janisse, 2021, USA, 195'