Lord of Misrule — Lord of Misrule(VOD)

Lord of Misrule is a new British folk horror tale from director William Brent Bell (Orphan: First Kill, The Boy). New priest Rebecca (Tuppence Middleton) is more than happy to get involved with her village’s folk traditions, in fact she and her family are entranced by the showmanship of the annual harvest festival. But when her daughter (Evie Templeton) vanishes, Rebecca is drawn into a dark history which leads back to a threat beyond human comprehension.

Folk horror is one of those strange subsections of horror where there aren’t many stand-out examples, but the ones that do stand out are exceptional films. The Wicker Man, The Witch and Penda’s Fen being some truly mesmerizing examples which really capture those weird fiction characteristics the best. Lord of Misrule feels like it has the important core values of all those films, and a strong grasp on how to craft the perfect atmosphere, however, there is a lacks of originality to the whole thing. It doesn’t help that the plot set up of a religious believer in a small village investigates a missing child, something which is ripped straight from The Wicker Man. The conventional nature of the plot really does hold the film back from becoming a cult favorite in the genre, there’s never a sense where you feel like the narrative may be a surprise.

 The script from Tom de Ville (Urban Gothic) does shine in its presentation of the central couple; Rebecca and Harry (Matt Stokoe).   The script does a good job at positioning both parties as the rational skeptic, but Rebecca’s religious ties factor in with the way it strains their relationship. Both clearly struggle to cope with the loss, but Rebecca tries to use Christianity to find solace and it doesn’t work; there’s a brilliantly creepy scene in her church as she struggles through a service despite the circumstances. Middleton and Stokoe have a quiet chemistry, it's an understated portrayal of a marriage under strain. Both performers get that desperation across clearly and I feel like we miss out on having a lot of scenes with them in the second half of film; which unfortunately leaves some elements of their relationship feeling somewhat underdeveloped. The real highlight of the cast for me was Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Chernobyl), who always captures the uncanny in these unsettling roles. I feel like he’s channelling part of what made his portrayal of the Green Knight in The Green Knight so complex, its that calmness and monotone way of speaking that hooks you in.

I feel like there’s a more unique story somewhere in Lord of Misrule, because it is clear that the solid performances and evocative direction are doing most of the heavy lifting here. Brent Bell is clearly in love with this style of horror, and his direction reflects that with a beautifully stormy colour palette and effective atmosphere. But the central concept is all too generic to be truly engaging, leaving you with a film which plods rather than paces through the narrative.