In the Earth (2021): A Quiet Folk Horror Film That Turns Wild

Written and directed by Ben Wheatley, this 2021 flick starts firmly in the folk horror tradition, though it quickly grows branches into a few other strange genres along the way. Wheatley had already played in this space with A Field in England, and here he returns to the British countryside, proving that nothing good comes from wandering too far into the woods.

One thing that immediately helps the film’s atmosphere is the unapologetic British-ness. The accents, the quiet countryside, the damp forests, it all reinforces the folk horror vibe where nature feels ancient, patient, and irritated that humans are stomping around in it.

The film was also written during the COVID pandemic, which adds an extra layer of history to it. The story begins in a world recovering from a devastating virus, where a scientist and a park scout travel deep into a quarantined forest for research. Naturally, this is a terrible idea.

A Slow Walk Into Something Wrong

For the first stretch, the movie moves at a quiet, deliberate pace. It’s slow. Almost meditative. If you need something exploding every ten minutes, this’ll test your patience.

But if you lean into it, the atmosphere starts doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

About a third of the way in, the tension kicks in. The film introduces a character who is completely batshit. His speeches quickly drift into something that feels unmistakably Lovecraftian, filled with poetic ramblings about forces in the forest that humans barely understand.

Folk Horror Meets Cosmic Weirdness

At its core, In the Earth is a folk horror movie, but it doesn’t stay solely in that lane.

There’s something about the story that begins to lean toward cosmic horror, the idea that are ancient forces buried beneath the natural world; that humans are poking them with scientific sticks.

A hidden truth buried in time. It’s a theme I’ve always loved.

You see it in The Blood on Satan’s Claw. You see it in Lord of Illusions. You even see it in Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards. The idea that there is a hidden history in the world, something ancient that people try to uncover, exploit, worship, or control.

And it rarely goes well.

A Quiet Movie That Gets Wild

Visually, the film fits neatly into modern British independent cinema. Wheatley uses cramped shots when the characters are moving through the forest, making everything feel disorienting. Then he suddenly opens things up with beautiful panoramic shots of the landscape reminding us how small the characters are in comparison to the wilds.

There are moments that echo Prince of Darkness, though instead of an evil presence lurking in a city church basement, here it’s just beyond your view, deep in the forest.

At several points the movie goes full psychedelic, and it’s one of the highlights of the flick. The effects are both modern and old-school, leaning into in-camera visual tricks that feel like a nod to the experimental folk horror films of the 1970s.

A Diamond in the Rough

I could keep listing comparisons and genre connections, but honestly, that might ruin the experience.

In the Earth works best when you don’t quite know where it’s going.

It’s not a loud movie. It’s not a flashy movie. But it’s packed with strange ideas and unsettling imagery. Most importantly for me, it’s the kind of film that sets my imagination running wild.

Buttonface Says…

In the Earth is slow, weird, occasionally brutal, and deeply atmospheric.

If you like your horror loud and obvious, this one might feel like a long walk in the woods. But if you enjoy folk horror that slowly mutates into cosmic nightmare territory, this movie is great.

In the Earth (2021) Image Gallery