The Folk Horror focus of the 1970s faded, but it was never completely abandoned. Whereas the plot of films like The Wicker Man focused on communities and families coming together for a perceived positive endeavor that ultimately gave them public success, folk horror plots of the 1990s and 2000s were more about groups of people hiding themselves away and keeping everything within.
The X-Files series explored all manner of horror, supernatural, extraterrestrial, and strange stuff. Stand alone episodes were capsule environments that allowed the show creators to frame social issues within ominous story lines. One such episode was “Gender Bender”. It first aired on January 21, 1994.
https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Gender_Bender
In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a death possibly related to pheromones’ produced by a killer who trolls a night club for victims. Things become more and more confusing the more the agents try to track down their shapeshifting suspect. Eventually, their path leads to a remote closed community with specific customs of control and isolation. The villagers wear “folk” costume particular to their belief’s and shun many modern conveniences. Overcast skies, dark trees at the forests edge, odd silences during social gatherings and thriving grain fields check off all of the right aesthetic boxes. The overall themes of the episode are the exploration of gender norms and gendered behavior on the casual dating scene. Additionally, the contrast of seduction versus abduction is explored. There is an overall pallor of danger as related to sex. Given the date of the creation of this episode, it is easy to see why these issues were at the forefront of the writers minds as they sought to use their show as a vehicle to support social change. Viewed in 2020, some of this is problematic. But at the time of its release, this was all new stuff and the episode received positive ratings.
This episode has some of the most haunting and beautiful music composed for the show’s entire 9 season original run.
“The Blair Witch Project” was released in 1999. Technically, this is a supernatural style horror film. It uses ‘found” footage to tell the story of young filmmakers who disappear while on a quest to investigate the Legend of the Blair Witch in Burkittsville, Maryland.
This film was made on a famously small budget by an incredibly resourceful and creative team. They used simple techniques and materials to create iconic imagery. The main example of this were the stick figures that became the emblems of the tale. Set designers used twigs found on location and old balls of twine to create these masterpieces of horror design. They still make people uncomfortable decades after the film was originally aired.
https://screenrant.com/blair-witch-project-movie-stick-figures-meaning/
What DOES place this film in the Folk Horror genre is not the movie itself, but the marketing campaign created around it. The witch legend, purposefully made to be similar to dozens of local tales, was just detailed enough to be believable as part of an old local narrative. The production crew engaged the communities where filming occurred to join in on the story and the overall composed tale was one of a rural community on the edge of the woods that had survived the persecution of a negative entity for generations. Visitors are welcomed to explore , but warned not to stray away from the behavioral norms of the town. Villagers choose to keep silent to ensure that the witch does not terrorize others and stays in their region to spare others. A “mocumentary” was created and aired on the Sci- Fi channel in early July 1999. It served as both backstory and promotion and included “additional footage and exclusive interviews” of the townspeople, a tour of the area, and information on people who had personally encountered the witch or the lost filmmakers. The Blair Witch movie was released on July 30, 1999.
https://blairwitch.fandom.com/wiki/Curse_of_the_Blair_Witch
https://screenrant.com/blair-witch-project-syfy-mockumentary-better-movie-sequels/
This film has inspired sequels, art, podcasts, and even knitting patterns for the iconic hat worn by the main female character.
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True Folk Horror was displayed in M. Night Shamalan’s film “The Village”
At the time of this release, this film received lukewarm reviews. It tells the story of an isolated community (check) , that exists in a vaguely “past time” world of technology and social convention ( check), who wear “traditional” dress (check), who have seasonal rituals and celebrations specific to their group belief (check) who are hyper wary of strangers (check) , who maintain strong boundaries between themselves and the outside world ( check), their quaint village is surrounded by dark ominous woods (check), and who, despite their best efforts and intentions, are not having the prosperity they would like. Each of these tropes is lovingly displayed with beautiful lighting, set and costume design, and compelling music. Originally, it was not presented as a horror film- rather it was viewed as a fantasy thriller. And yet, it produced a sense of unique fear in audiences.
This is a film that definitely improves with age. In 2004, the alarm about encroaching technology and hyper social engagement was a low buzz. 10 years later, the central themes began to resonate loud and clear. By 2020, much of what this film presents seems a desirable, if not likely successful, way to disengage from so much danger in the world. Like all of Shamalan’s films, the answer to every viewer question is clearly stated and displayed as the film progresses. It is only in hindsight that you realize everything good and bad was in plain sight all along.
https://www.vox.com/2015/9/11/9309749/the-village-shyamalan-good
https://collider.com/the-village-movie-underrated-m-night-shyamalan/
Coney Craftoween 2020 