That is not dead which can eternal lie…
The term folk horror dates from 1970, and it originally applied to British films that explored the idea that potent ancient forces and deep-rooted evils survive in the landscape, scarcely acknowledged by the modern world. Commonly, these dark forces are mobilized by active witches or pagan groups, deploying secret rituals dating from pre-Christian times. The plots involve innocent outsiders entrapped in these fearsome proceedings, and likely facing the prospect of a grisly sacrificial death. The genre relies on confrontations with an unsuspected ancient reality, which is inconceivably perilous. The best-known contribution is the 1973 production The Wicker Man, which regularly appears in critics’ lists of the three or four greatest British films ever made.
The basic mythology of British folk horror is totally fictitious, in that such clandestine pagan networks never existed, or at least were in no sense survivals from ancient times: that belief derives from a modern academic mythology. Even so, over the past twenty years, folk horror has become the subject of countless scholarly books and academic conferences. The label is also applied to a steady stream of new films and novels.
As I explain in the attached document, this is a topic I have followed closely from its inception – and years before I ever heard the name “folk horror.” I believe I have some innovative things to say on the topic, including some references that really, nobody else has ever picked up. Judge for yourself. I am uploading the document both in pdf and document form, so that at least one version will allow you to follow the links.
I also offer a current working bibliography.
