Folk horror at its most dreamlike — films where the countryside isn't just a setting but a living, breathing threat. Ancient rituals, pagan communities, and landscapes that feel older than time. These films move at their own pace and leave you unsettled for days.
14 films — with streaming info
Midsommar(2019)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · ritual · cult
Drama, Horror · 148 min · Dir. Ari Aster
Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, Christian invites a grie
The Wicker Man(1973)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · cult · paganism
Horror, Mystery · 88 min · Dir. Robin Hardy
On Sunday, April 29, 1973, Sergeant Neil Howie with the West Highland Constabulary flies solo to Summerisle off the coast of Scotland. He is there to follow up on a letter addressed specifically to hi
The Ritual(2017)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · bleak family trauma · survival
Horror, Mystery · 94 min · Dir. David Bruckner
A group of friends reunite after a long time to plan a vacation. They finally decide to go on a hiking trip in Sweden (North-West Europe). When one of them is injured, they have no choice but to cut t
Viy(1967)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · witch · demon
Drama, Fantasy · 77 min · Dir. Konstantin Ershov
Getting lost, wandering home whilst on leave from his seminary, novice monk Khoma stays in the barn of an old woman. A scuffle breaks out. Later, he is summoned to stand and pray over a young dead wom
The Wailing(2016)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · possession · curse
Drama, Horror · 156 min · Dir. Na Hong-jin
In the small village Goksung in South Korea, police officer Jong-Goo investigates bizarre murders caused by a mysterious disease. His partner relays gossip that a Japanese stranger, who lives in a sec
Häxan(1922)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · witch · superstition
Documentary, Fantasy · 91 min · Dir. Benjamin Christensen
Part history lesson followed by re-enactments with actors, this film depicts the history of witchcraft from its earliest days through to the present day (in this case,1922 or thereabouts). The result
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror(2021)
Documentary, Horror · 194 min · Dir. Kier-La Janisse
WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED explores the folk horror phenomenon from its beginnings in a trilogy of films - Michael Reeves' Witchfinder General (1968), Piers Haggard's Blood on Satan's Claw (197
Witchfinder General(1968)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · witch hunt · religious fundamentalism
Drama, Horror · 86 min · Dir. Michael Reeves
England is torn in civil strife as the Royalists battle the Parliamentary Party for control. This conflict distracts people from rational thought and allows unscrupulous men to gain local power by exp
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me(1992)
Fits this vibe: surreal · trauma · abuse
Drama, Horror · 134 min · Dir. David Lynch
Essentially a prequel to David Lynch and Mark Frost's earlier TV series "Twin Peaks". The first half-hour or so concerns the investigation by FBI Agent Chet Desmond (Chris Isaak) and his partner Sam S
Children of the Corn(1984)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · cult · sacrifice
Horror, Thriller · 92 min · Dir. Fritz Kiersch
A boy preacher named Isaac goes to Gatlin, Nebraska and gets all the children to murder every adult in town. A young couple on a road trip stop in Gatlin to report a murder and seek help, but the town
Hagazussa(2017)
Drama, Horror · 102 min · Dir. Lukas Feigelfeld
The dark legend of the young woman Albrun and her struggle to preserve her own sanity, and tries to explore the fine line between ancient magic, faith and madness at a time when pagan beliefs in witch
The Hole in the Ground(2019)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · paranoid isolation · rural
Drama, Horror · 90 min · Dir. Lee Cronin
Trying to escape her broken past, Sarah O'Neill is building a new life on the fringes of a backwood rural town with her young son Chris. A terrifying encounter with a mysterious neighbour shatters her
The Witch(2015)
Fits this vibe: folk-horror ritual · witch · isolation
Drama, Fantasy · 92 min · Dir. Robert Eggers
New England, 1630: William and Katherine try to lead a devout Christian life, homesteading on the edge of an impassible wilderness, with five children. When their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and
A Field in England(2013)
Drama, History · 90 min · Dir. Ben Wheatley
Fleeing for their lives, a small party abandon their Civil War confederates and escape through an overgrown field. Thinking only of what lays behind, they are ambushed by two dangerous men and made to
Key themes include the intersection of ancient rituals with modernity, the unsettling influence of nature, and the exploration of isolation within rural communities. These films often highlight the tension between the familiar and the uncanny.
Certainly! Films like 'The Wicker Man', 'Midsommar', and 'The Witch' exemplify the dreamlike surreal folk horror vibe, featuring immersive landscapes and disturbing cultural practices.
These films use atmospheric cinematography, haunting sound design, and slow-building tension to evoke a sense of dread. The countryside, often portrayed as both beautiful and menacing, plays a crucial role in crafting an unsettling ambiance.
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