Lord of Misrule (Film Review)

Lord of Misrule is a folk horror movie in the vein of The Wicker Man, Kill List and various other films involving a bunch of shifty country-folk, dancing around some kind of flaming maypole, bonfire, effigy, nosy interloper or harvest enriching virgin – usually to summon or keep away an ancient deity. Lord of Misrule follows that playbook without deviating in any significant way.

In Lord of Misrule, Vicar, Rebecca Holland (Tuppence Middleton), finds herself in an extraordinary situation when her daughter, Grace (Evie Templeton) is abducted in the middle of a creepy town festival involving weird masks, scythes and, of course, the obligatory bonfire. The real weirdness starts after the police are alerted and the search for Grace begins.

There is nothing remarkable about Lord of Misrule and for any keen horror fans, you probably know where the plot is heading five minutes in. That usually is not a huge issue, as with life, it's not the destination, it's the journey that counts. Some stops along the way are interesting with nice horror tinged touches; psychotic old ladies, prophesying and losing control of their bladders, or shadowy faces or creatures hiding in the margins.

The performances are fine, Tuppence Middleton seems suitably upset and bewildered as she runs around looking for clues. The standout performance belongs to Ralph Ineson who plays the mysterious Jocelyn Abney, a man whose child was also abducted years ago at the same festival, but harbours a dark secret. The atmosphere is suitably moody, with a brooding cinematography that makes part of the film look like a malevolent fairy-tale.

The majority of the film is a fairly slow march to the inevitable wacky folk horror conclusion, which is where the movie finally starts to pay off. The last 15 minutes of Lord of Misrule is what your admission paid for. If you like a little bit of gore and a decent slice of hubris pie, you will get your fill.

Lord of Misrule, is not a particularly long film and doesn't do anything innovative, not that every film has to. It adheres quite strictly to the formula set by its forbears but does sprinkle in a bit more of a compassionate lens to proceedings. It is a solid folk horror with a few stand out moments and solid performances. You won't walk away changed, but if you are a fan of this genre, you will walk away decently satiated.

Lord of Misrule is out on Blu-ray and DVD on 26th February