After winning the MTV Viewer's Choice Award for his music video for Knights Of Bostonia and the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival award for short film The Perfect Gooseys, Andrew Mudge takes audiences on an entirely different and devastating folk horror trip in The Arborist. Blending classic horror trappings with the all-encompassing, cataclysmic loss of a child, his latest feature is a poignant, character-driven exploration of our deepest, darkest fears.

Ellie (Lucy Walters) is struggling after the loss of her infant daughter, Rachel, to SIDS, while her resentful teenage son, Wyatt (Hudson West), doesn't believe she is processing the loss. Ellie, an arborist, is hired by mysterious recluse Arthur Randolph (Will Lyman) to fell trees in his vast estate, though they seem perfectly healthy. As they get to work in the forested area, Wyatt begins to behave erratically, hallucinating horrific creatures and seeing visions of his past. Ellie confides in Arthur about the strange behaviour, and he reveals the real reason he brought the mother and son to his home.

The brief and tragic cold open sets the bleak and oppressive tone of the film, which navigates the painful realities of child loss that we often look away from. The rage and the questions, finding happiness in the aftermath, and those close to you not understanding how you process your emotions. Ellie has immersed herself in her work and alcohol, while being unable to look at reminders of her beautiful baby girl. Wyatt, meanwhile, is devastated that his mother can't say her name and feels lost in a world not only without his sibling but also his only parent, now a shell of her former self. The Arborist nails the hallucinatory feeling that follows death, where nothing feels real, and yet life goes on around you in a narrative that often feels like it follows the five stages of grief in motion.

Reminiscent of Andy Mitton's dark and thoughtful thriller The Harbinger, The Arborist couples sumptuous settings and opulent cinematography with deeply unsettling and off-putting dream sequences and iconography that plunge the viewer into a nightmarish, almost fairy tale world. Unusual beings stalking the woods, strange trinkets, and an abundance of flora and fauna immerse us in the strange folk tale that plays out, though these scares often feel less impactful than the overarching narrative of loss and despair in the face of death.

With gripping performances, incredible cinematography, and an effective central mystery that will keep audiences guessing, The Arborist is an emotional rollercoaster viewers won't soon forget. Unrelenting and heartbreaking, it is a captivating haunted house tale that explores the nuanced emotions of infant loss with care and precision, never straying from the uncomfortable, messy, and conflicting emotions in its wake.

The Arborist had its world premiere at FrightFest 2025 on 23 August