Horror is a perfect genre for the anthology format, with it taking relatively little time to frighten an audience if the creator has enough skill to do so. Because of this, there has been a large influx of horror anthology movies in recent years, often with a very thinly constructed through-line that barely impacts that other narratives on offer. Lore is the latest entry into the genre, and one that actually seems to have taken the time to try and construct an interesting overall narrative that includes every part of the movie into a more interesting whole.
The British horror sees four friends setting out for an adventure get away. Having engaged in horror experiences and escape rooms, the four of them are looking for the next thrill. This leads them deep into a remote forest where Darwin (Richard Brake), the man running the excursion, tells them to set up camp for the night. Once the tents are pitched and the camp fire is roaring he tells them of the discovery of a mass grave in the area years before, and the strange things that happen around the woods. Telling them that the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest here, he gets each of the four friends to tell a story that frightens them to call out to the spirits of the dead.
This leads up into four separate stories, each told by a different member of the group. The first is 'Shadows', and follows Daniel (Andrew Lee Potts), as he runs for his life from a couple of criminal heavies who want either money or blood. Taking refuge inside an old building, Daniel thinks he's gotten away from his pursuers, but once they come in after him he's left hiding in the shadows. However, he's not the only thing in the shadows, as something sinister begins to hunt them down.
Written and directed by James Bushe, 'Shadows' begins as a fairly traditional horror scenario, of a remote location, a couple of key players, and the monster hunting them in the dark. And the monster design is pretty solid with some decent suit work too. However, as the story continues to unfold it becomes clear that there's something a little different happening and viewers are treated to some fun twists on the formula. Lee Potts does well in the lead role here too, and delivers a fairly strong performance.
The second story is 'The Hidden Woman', by director Patrick Michael Ryder, co-written by Christine Barber-Ryder. It tells the story of a single mother and her young son who inherit a large house when the grandmother of the family passes away. The two of them start to settle into their sprawling new home, but strange things begin to happen, including odd figures glimpsed in the dark of night, and heavy footsteps throughout the house. This is a fairly straightforward ghost story, and it doesn't really do anything new with the haunted house formula. It's fairly comfortable in the sense that you know what kind of things to expect here. However, it's absolutely the best story of the bunch. It's the scariest of the four stories, with some genuinely creepy visuals and some decent frights, and the ghost, played by Jordaine Lincoln, has some truly unnerving and creepy movement that comes from Lincoln's dance and contortionist skills.
From a haunted house we move on to the much less creepy environment of a seedy hotel, where a lecherous husband, played by Rufus Hound, has pressured his reluctant wife into swapping partners with another couple to 'celebrate' their anniversary. However, when the kinky foreplay leads into the man being handcuffed and seemingly prepared for a sacrifice by the woman he's hooking up with, things take a twisted turn. This story, titled 'Cross Your Heart' and written and directed by Greig Johnson, is something of a comedic tale, and doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. Part of this tone absolutely comes from Hound, who's more well known for his comedic roles, and injects his character with a sense of fun despite you wanting to loathe him.
It's not all fun and games, however, as this story features a substantial amount of blood and gore as the cult takes over the hotel and rushes towards their twisted end game. The effects are pretty gnarly, and there are a few moments that will turn your stomach. Thankfully, the grosses of these borders on being a bit too over the top and so it makes things a bit easier to stomach. Overall, it's a pretty fun chapter in the movie.
The final of the four stories, 'The Keychain Man' written by Patrick Michael Ryder and Christine Barber-Ryder, and directed by Patrick Michael Ryder & James Bushe, is the lightest of the four, and feels like it's bordering on a light hearted spoof of the slasher genre that still wants to be a horror story. It tells the tale of a group of friends who head to the cinema for a midnight screening, but find themselves trapped in the building with a murderous employee who's gone on a killing spree after being fired. From the first moment we see the killer, where he's so large that his head is out of frame, and we get him having to call the manager to help with the till because he's messed it up, it's clear that this story isn't taking things too serious.
This tone follows through with a lot of the character moments, such as the guy in the front row getting angry that people are talking through a washing-up liquid advert, or the cinema employee who assumes one of the survivors is a pervert when he's hiding from the kill in the women's room, being built around having fun more than anything else. And even though this story doesn't skimp on the blood and guts it never feels gratuitous, and borders on the ridiculous, such as a character being bisected with a popcorn scoop. The segment feels like something of a cheeky love letter to slasher movies that fans of the genre will like.
The film ends with the framing narrative, in a way that will raise a few questions as to the true nature of what you've just seen. You'll want to stick around during the credits, however, as some of the lingering questions I had come the end are answered a few minutes later with a nice little coda that puts a decent little bow on things and left me feeling pretty satisfied.
Lore doesn't really do anything new or different, and the kinds of stories we have here will feel familiar to horror fans. But, it feels like the filmmakers approach every aspect of the film with the desire to deliver fun, and they largely succeed. The movie isn't too scary, it's got some humour, there are some great practical effects, and the framing narrative actually feels like an important part of the tale rather than an afterthought to justify the anthology format (a trap that a lot of other horror anthologies fall into). For those looking to have a bit of fun for a couple of hours and want to see a decent collection of British horror, Lore makes for a great choice.
Lore will be available to stream exclusively on the IFC Channel from 26th August, will be in Select UK Cinemas from 27th September, and then available on Home Entertainment from 21th October.
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