Grief is never a tidy emotion, but in Starve Acre, Richard (Matt Smith) and Juliette (Morfydd Clark) find the process further complicated by their surroundings. Their farmhouse—ground zero for Richard’s unhappy childhood—is perched next to a field steeped in sinister local folklore, and it’s become clear the legends of the past haven’t yet finished weaving new tales.
Folk horror is a consistently popular genre with good reason, and Starve Acre makes excellent use of some of its most reliable tropes. Though Richard grew up in the rural area where he’s now living with Juliette, the family has only recently moved from a nearby city. There’s already some tension in the marriage when a tragedy strikes; they drift apart even more while coping with their awful new reality. She has her sympathetic sister, Harrie (Erin Richards) as support, and he has his passion for archaeology, with a treasure trove of artifacts lurking just beyond his front door. Richard’s investigations into the soil parallel his excavations into his own past, especially the journals of his late father—an abusive man with a similar interest in history, driven by a distressing obsession with the occult.
Starve Acre’s fascination with ancient rituals—at one point we learn locals have long believed a literal “a pagan entrance to the spirit world” is in their midst—and its 1970s setting infuse its atmosphere with Wicker Man vibes. But while that folk-horror classic is mostly focused on an outsider fumbling through a culture he doesn’t understand, Starve Acre posits Richard and Juliette as people who’re becoming absorbed into a legacy in a way that’s both malevolent and nurturing. You fear for them… until you begin to fear them.
Director Daniel Kokotaljo, who also adapted the screenplay from acclaimed horror author Andrew Michael Hurley’s 2019 book, enhances Starve Acre‘s deep-rooted nature themes with gorgeous cinematography by Adam Scarth, and builds tension with Matthew Herbert’s score, which veers eerily between homespun and menacing.
But the biggest draw for Starve Acre is its two leads: Matt Smith (Doctor Who) is currently ripping his way through season two of HBO’s House of the Dragon as the volatile Daemon Targaryen; Morfydd Clark, meanwhile, will soon return as Galadriel in season two of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. That this hardly feels like stunt casting is a testament to both their skills as performers.
Starve Acre opens in theaters and arrives on demand July 26.
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