As part of my October horror reviews, I’ve been scouring all the streaming services I have access to in order to find films I’ve never heard of before. I found In the Earth on Netflix and the premise caught my eye immediately. After several months of no contact from his colleague, Dr Olivia Wendle (Hayley Squires), soil scientist Martin (Joel Fry) volunteers for a research project in a quarantined forest in order to find her. With park ranger Alma (Ellora Torchia), Martin’s attempt to find Dr Wendle leads them both into danger when they encounter Zach (Reece Shearsmith), but he isn’t the only danger lurking in the woods.
The film was made during the pandemic and it adds such a creepy, dystopian vibe to the whole thing. The coronavirus itself is not mentioned, only the guidelines and quarantine procedures caused by an unnamed virus, which definitely adds to the timelessness of the film. The movie as a whole is more creepy and unsettling that overtly scary, and is an interesting take on folk horror mixed with recent developments in natural science. Directed and written by Ben Wheatley, In the Earth is a classic British horror, pared down and simplified to the basest elements with little music, very reminiscent of Eden Lake (which, if you haven’t seen it, I also highly recommend).
The film features body horror and brutal wounds in a way that isn’t gratuitous but is instead realistic, and doesn’t shy away from blood. I know horror as a genre, especially American horror films, tends to lean more towards grotesque and campy especially when it comes to blood and guts, but In the Earth takes itself refreshingly seriously. I did see one review complaining about the dialogue, but I found the writing to be realistic and the flow of the conversations very lifelike, so maybe it’s a cultural thing. I will say though that the cast carries this film 100% of the way, even if the plot falls apart towards the third act.
As with most of the films this month, I did crochet while watching this. It turns out that’s not ideal for this film, as it relies heavily on surreal visual montages and atonal sounds, particularly in the last half. Though the plot was not watertight, I will commend Wheatley on his use of long shots with a slow zoom; they add to the intensity and are physically uncomfortable to watch. This film is absolutely not for anyone affected by strobe lighting, as in the second half the film nearly entirely becomes a rave, and the combination of the lights and sounds left me with a headache long after the credits rolled.
In the Earth is an interesting mix of ritual and science, and is ideal for anyone who prefers the journey rather than the destination, and those who are looking for horror films that take themselves seriously.
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