This is the first in a series of articles where we’ll be covering the Top Folk Horror films. Folk Horror films typically feature folklore and cultural or religious beliefs within their narratives. Most films of this subgenre feature a rural setting and themes of isolation, religion, the occult and cults. Folk Horror primarily overlaps with the Films About Cults and Dark Fantasy Films subgenres but also heavily influences (or is influenced by) other horror subgenres including Films About the Devil, Demons & Hell, Gothic Horror Films, Films About the Occult & Witches, Films About Urban Legends, Films About Vampires and Films About Werewolves. Folk Horror also will feature Supernatural or Paranormal elements, but the focus of these films usually involves people’s beliefs in relation to any supernatural forces.
Folk Horror emerged as a horror subgenre in the late 1960’s and 1970’s and increased in popularity in the 2010’s. Popular Folk Horror films over the decades include The Wicker Man (1973), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Witch (2015), Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019).
This first article will cover the Top Folk Horror Films You Haven’t Seen from the 1970’s and you can check out additional articles by decade below. We are also going to include a Best Of subgenre article as a grand finale. There are so many great Folk Horror films over the last 60 years that we felt it best to break down some of the subgenre’s forgotten and lesser-known gems by decade before we give you the Best Of list which will likely feature many films you’ve already heard of or have seen.
- Top Folk Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 1970’s
- Top Folk Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 1980’s
- Top Folk Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s
- Top Folk Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 2000’s
- Top Folk Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 2010’s
- Best Recent Folk Horror Films
- Best Films About Folk Horror
Though The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) is typically noted as the film that established Folk Horror in the 1970’s, there were a few pre-1970’s films that any fan of the subgenre should check out including Onibaba (1964), Kwaidan (1964), Viy (1967), Kuroneko (1968), Witchfinder General (1968) and The Devil Rides Out (1968). These films influenced quite a few films in the 1970’s and later decades.
In the 1970’s, three major themes would emerge and dominate the Folk Horror subgenre: historical films centered around witchcraft, occult films with a focus on satanic cults and films about religious cults featuring beliefs including paganism.
Films about Witchcraft set during the 17th & 18th centuries would incorporate historical elements of ‘witch hunting’ in films such as The Bloody Judge (1970), Mark of the Devil (1970) and Cry of the Banshee (1970).
The blending of the occult and satanic cults with Folk Horror elements would emerge in one of the classic films of the subgenre – The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971). This Folk Horror focus on the occult would continue in films including The Ballad of Tam Lin (1970), The Brotherhood of Satan (1971), Daughters of Satan (1972), Satan’s Slave (1976), The Devil’s Men (1976) and Alucarda (1977).
And finally, arguably the most popular Folk Horror film of all-time, The Wicker Man (1973), would incorporate elements of cult beliefs and paganism and further define the ‘rural’ setting which Folk Horror would become known for. The Wicker Man would have an outsized influence on the subgenre that would become more apparent in later decades with Kill List (2011), Apostle (2018) and Midsommar (2019).
Our complete list of Films About Folk Horror features over 178+ films from 1964 – 2024. This collection features almost every film featuring witchcraft, the occult, cults and folklore set in a rural environment. If you don’t see a film in our collection, it is likely in other collections such as Dark Fantasy Films, Films About Cults, Films About the Devil, Demons & Hell, Gothic Horror Films, Films About the Occult & Witches, Films About Urban Legends, Films About Vampires and Films About Werewolves. Also, as we’re always updating our collections and will be releasing additional articles of great Folk Horror Films, subscribe to our newsletter for our latest updates as we post them.
Classic Folk Horror Films from 1964 – 1979: Onibaba (1964), Kwaidan (1964), Witchfinder General (1968), The Devil Rides Out (1968), The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) and The Wicker Man (1973).
Folk Horror Films from the 1970’s that didn’t make our list: The Bloody Judge (1970), Mark of the Devil (1970), Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach (1970), Assault (1971), Doomwatch (1972), Necromancy (1973), Daughters of Satan (1972), Satan’s Slave (1976), The Devil’s Men (1976) and Alucarda (1977).
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Here is our list of the Top Folk Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 1970’s:
Plot: A Canadian Indian (Jan-Michael Vincent) and a newswoman (Marilyn Hassett) join his grandfather (Chief Dan George) on a tribal walk among evil spirits.
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the early Folk Horror films that explored folklore outside of typical conventions (i.e. the occult or Christianity vs. paganism). North American Indian folklore is the focus on this film with a battle between the tribe’s shaman and an evil sorceress.
There’s equal good and bad in this film. The good features some exciting moments including travel across a suspension bridge and Mike’s (Jan-Michael Vincent) vision quest. The bad deals mostly with very dated special effects and an obvious man in a bear costume. However, the good outweighs the bad and is recommended for fans and completists of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#9
Jonathan
Plot: A group of vampires terrorizes a small village on the German North Sea Coast. The young Jonathan joins a group of fellow students and locals, who plan an uprising against the vampires.
KBZ’s Take: Though this West German is billed as a “Vampire Film” it won’t be very exciting for fans of bloody or scary vampire films. It’s much more about atmosphere and the politics of the aristocracy of the time (the vampires) vs. the peasants.
It’s an original take on the Dracula tale that puts more emphasis on Folk Horror elements. While we can’t recommend the film for general horror fans, we would recommend it for completists of both the Folk Horror and Films About Vampires subgenres.
Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
Plot: Based upon the Celtic legend Tam Lin, a young man is bewitched by a beautiful, heartless, aging sorceress to become her lover. When his attention wanders to a lovely girl, he is doomed to ritual sacrifice by the sorceress.
KBZ’s Take: Before watching this film, it will help to better understand it by making yourself familiar with the Scottish folk tale and ballad Tam Lin. The film is based on the ballad with Ava Gardner and Ian McShane in the starring roles.
The film was billed as a horror film though both 1970’s audiences didn’t, and most modern audiences won’t find the film particularly scary. However, it is a unique film in the subgenre that adapts a popular folk tale.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: In 17th century England Lord Whitman wages unending war on what he sees as the ever-present scourge of witchcraft, and many local villagers have suffered at his hands. But one victim uses her occult powers to curse his family, enlisting unknowing help from one of the household.
KBZ’s Take: We mentioned earlier in this article that the early 1970’s saw a rash of historical-themed Folk Horror films focused on witchcraft. Admittedly, our choice here comes down to personal preference as we found Cry of the Banshee slightly better than The Bloody Judge (1970) and Mark of the Devil (1970).
All the films tackle similar subjects, but Vincent Price stars in this film, and if you’re a Price fan like we are, it’s worth checking out first.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Valerie, a Czechoslovakian teenager living with her grandmother, is blossoming into womanhood, but that transformation proves secondary to the effects she experiences when she puts on a pair of magic earrings. Now seeing the world around her in a different light, Valerie must endure her sexual awakening while attempting to discern reality from fantasy as she encounters lecherous priest Gracian, a vampire-like stranger and otherworldly carnival folk.
KBZ’s Take: We’ll start off by saying this Czechoslovakian film is much more Dark Fantasy than Folk Horror. It’s also not a film with a traditional narrative, but more abstract and surreal with a focus on coming-of-age symbolism.
We would still highly recommend the film for fans of this subgenre as it features some very unique folklore elements. Just don’t go in expecting traditional Folk Horror-type scares.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#5
Leonor
Plot: Richard is a medieval nobleman. After his first wife dies in an accident and is buried in the family vault, he remarries and has children by his second wife. A mad longing for his first wife Leonor comes over him, and he sells his soul to the devil for a chance to get her back. But when she returns, she is a murderous vampire.
KBZ’s Take: Leonor is a very obscure film that has some very divided opinions. Some people find the film too slow and not particularly scary. We can’t disagree with those points as the film unfolds much like a dense Dark Fantasy Fairy Tale and takes awhile to get to anything remotely ‘scary’.
However, we’re in the camp that thought this was an excellent dark fable about a man not willing to let go of death and the ramifications that ensue through his selfish acts. It also stars the beautiful Ornella Muti (Princess Aura from Flash Gordon (1980)) as the young new wife of Le Seigneur Richard (Michel Piccoli) who can’t help him overcome his grief over the loss of his first wife Leonor (Liv Ullman).
We understand a good segment of fans of this subgenre likely won’t enjoy this film. But, if you’re a fan of dark romantic period pieces with tinges of horror (and vampirism), then it’s a film you definitely shouldn’t miss. It’s a personal favorite film of ours and one of the most underrated of the entire horror subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Troubled wife meets a lighthouse keeper, and they escape together to Scotland. He dies but soon comes back from the sea…
KBZ’s Take: Another film on our list that layers Dark Fantasy and Folk Horror elements over a doomed romance. Though the first half of the film plays up the romantic elements, it’s the second half that turns very dark as the undead ‘lover’ returns.
While the film itself is ultimately a love story, it still has some very creepy moments that fans of this subgenre will enjoy.
Additional Lists: Top Dark Fantasy Films You Haven’t Seen – 1970 – 1989 #10
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A family is trapped in a desert town by a cult of senior-citizens who recruit the town’s children to worship Satan.
KBZ’s Take: This film should be considered a cult classic of 70’s horror but has inexplicably been forgotten over time. We’re here to make sure The Brotherhood of Satan gets the proper recognition it deserves.
The film starts off with a very Twilight Zone-esque opening where a family enters a town where the residents are shell-shocked and scared, no one can enter or leave the town and the town’s children are disappearing.
From that point forward, the film slowly dials up the sense of dread and fully embraces horror elements that conclude with one of the best and horrific endings of the decade. It’s one of the best lesser-known horror films that no fan of horror (or this subgenre) should miss.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. Stranger still, however, are the rituals that take place there.
KBZ’s Take: There’s a few reasons why this film is on our list and why it’s not listed as #1 here.
First, most older fans of the subgenre have likely seen The Wicker Man (and the much-maligned Nicolas Cage remake from 2006). And though this film will easily be in the Top 3 of our eventual “Best of Subgenre” article on Folk Horror, we wanted to make sure younger fans of the subgenre don’t miss out on this classic. We always get younger horror film fans who have just seen Hereditary (2018) or Midsommar (2019) and ask for similar types of films. We sound like a broken record saying, “Have you seen The Wicker Man yet?”, and most have not.
Second, The Wicker Man is a defining film of the subgenre – if not the defining film. But, as much as The Wicker Man influenced Folk Horror films over the ensuing decades, there was one film we have as #1 that started it all and should really get more recognition as a defining film of Folk Horror themes of the 1970’s.
Either way, if you still have not seen The Wicker Man, the 50-year-old film is obviously dated, but it’s themes within the subgenre are eternal.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The accidental unearthing of Satan’s earthly remains causes the children of a 17th-century English village to slowly convert into a coven of devil worshipers.
KBZ’s Take: Some would argue that Witchfinder General (1968) or even Onibaba (1964) were the start of Folk Horror as we know it. But we would have to agree with most that The Blood on Satan’s Claw firmly established most of the themes found within the subgenre.
There’s the rural, period setting with witch trials of the time that was also a staple of Witchfinder. But this film also put more emphasis on satanic cults which would become a predominant theme of multiple horror subgenres in the 70’s.
It’s also a film that features atmosphere over jump scares which became a defining characteristic of Folk Horror throughout the decade. And finally, you have Linda Hayden (as Angel Blake) who is excellent in this film and one of the unforgettable icons of Folk Horror in general.
It’s a must-see film of the subgenre and one that no fan of Folk Horror should miss.
Additional Lists: Top Films About The Devil, Demons and Hell You Haven’t Seen – 1970 – 1989 #7
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
