‘Lore’ Review
Stars: Miles Mitchell, Dean Bone, Sally Collett, Samantha Neale, Richard Brake, Andrew Lee Potts, Daniel-John Williams, Steven Blades, Jennifer K Preston, Theo Preston, Jordaine Lincoln, Rufus Hound, Katie Sheridan, Finbar Healy | Written by James Bushe, Patrick Michael Ryder, Christine Barber-Ryder, Greig Johnson | Directed by James Bushe, Patrick Michael Ryder, Greig Johnson
Tales told around the fire, especially a campfire, have been one of the primary ways humans have passed on myths, lore and scary stories in general as long as humans and fire have co-existed. And the movies have picked up on that, using it as a framing device in Grim Prairie Tales, Screams of a Winter Night and plenty of others.
In the aptly named anthology film Lore, a quartet of campers, Dan (Miles Mitchell; The Pay Day, Dawn Chorus), Mark (Dean Bone; Drunken Butterflies, Dead Canny), Donna (Sally Collett; The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud, Killers Anonymous), and Sally (Samantha Neale; Cosmic Chaos, Interview with a Hitman) share their stories with their guide, the exceptional creepy Darwin (Richard Brake; Kingsman: The Secret Service, Offseason).
After informing them of the evil history of the ground their tents are pitched on, Darwin tells them it’s a tradition with groups he takes out to share stories, with each other and the dead that roam the forest.
Up first is “Shadows” about Daniel (Andrew Lee Potts; House of Salem, The Hatching), a small-time criminal who owes money to the very large and very angry Barry (Daniel-John Williams; Redirected, Make Me Famous) and Terry (Steven Blades; All the Devil’s Men, 400 Bullets). Taking refuge in an abandoned warehouse, he finds something else is in there as well. Something a lot more dangerous than his pursuers. Written & Directed by James Bushe (Cannibals and Carpet Fitters, Predator: Dark Ages), “Shadows” gets Lore off to a good start with a nasty-looking monster, a bit of gore and an ending that caught me by surprise.
The second segment, “The Hidden Woman” is a ghost story. After her mother’s death, Hannah (Jennifer K Preston; Hosts, The Stranger) and her son Charlie (Theo Preston; Milo, The Zookeeper’s Wife) move into her house. But the dead don’t want company. Directed by Patrick Michael Ryder (Red Sky, First World Problem) who co-wrote it with Christine Barber-Ryder (Cerberus, In Flight) this is a fairly familiar story but has some nice jump scares and a ghost whose unnatural movement is the work of contortionist Jordaine Lincoln (The Lost Happy Endings) rather than CGI.
Moving from a haunted house to a cheap hotel, “Cross Your Heart” deals with Steve (Rufus Hound; What the Butler Saw, Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter) who has, despite her obvious misgivings, convinced his wife Cath (Katie Sheridan; Frankenstein: Legacy, The Convent) that they should hook up with a pair of swingers for their anniversary. However, once drugs and a strange cult become involved, he’s the one having second thoughts.
Written and directed by Greig Johnson (The Ordeal of Randolph Carter, The Wilds) “Cross Your Heart” features some excellent camera work from Scott Coulter (Things You Should Have Done, Henpocalypse!) who was cinematographer on all of Lore’s segments. There’s also some nice set design and effects in service of a fun, if not overly frightening, story.
Lore’s last segment, “The Keychain Man” was written by Patrick Michael Ryder & Christine Barber-Ryder, and co-directed Patrick Michael Ryder & James Bushe. It’s a slasher, following what happens when Gareth (Finbar Healy; A New Breed of Criminal, Checked Mates) is fired from his job at the cinema and responds by donning a mask and going on a killing spree.
Somewhat reminiscent of The Last Matinee, the killer drops the anti theft gates sealing the patrons in and begins bloodily dispatching than, starting with a bit of eyeball violence that also recalls Maximiliano Contenti’s film.
That’s just one of several delightfully nasty deaths, including a head bisected with a popcorn scoop, thanks to Mark Danbury (Dense Fear Bloodline, Coulrophobia) and Patrycja Nowacka (Bushwhacker Blues, Tales from the Lodge). The result is a darkly funny final story that leads into the less humorous, and slightly predictable, resolution of the film’s wraparound, which was also the work of Patrick Michael Ryder & James Bushe. There’s also a mid-credits scene for those who want to stick around for it.
Lore is just the sort of anthology I like, with a small number of stories, each given enough time to develop and deliver their scares. And, while they do vary a bit in quality, all of the segments are good, with Brake’s performance even giving the wraparound a sense of menace. Made by filmmakers who love and understand the genre, Lore easily stands out among the flood of anthologies we’ve seen over the past few years. If you’re a fan of short-form horror and looking for a fix, it’s one you don’t want to miss.
**** 4/5
Lore will be available in the UK on the Icon Film Channel on August 26th and in select theatres on September 27th. It will be available as a Digital Download on October 21st.
______
