FolknHell copertina

FolknHell

FolknHell

Di: Andrew Davidson Dave Houghton David Hall
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FolknHell is the camp-fire you shouldn’t have wandered up to: a loud, spoiler-packed podcast where three unapologetic cine-goblins – host Andy Davidson and his horror-hungry pals David Hall & Dave Houghton, decide two things about every movie they watch: 1, is it folk-horror, and 2, is it worth your precious, blood-pumping time.


Armed with nothing but “three mates, a microphone, and an unholy amount of spoilers” Intro-transcript the trio torch-walk through obscure European oddities, cult favourites and fresh nightmares you’ve never heard of, unpacking the myths, the monsters and the madness along the way.


Their rule-of-three definition keeps every discussion razor-sharp: the threat must menace an isolated community, sprout from the land itself, and echo older, folkloric times.


Each episode opens with a brisk plot rundown and spoiler warning, then erupts into forensic myth-picking, sound-design geekery and good-natured bickering before the lads slap down a score out of 30 (“the adding up is the hard part!")


FolknHell is equal parts academic curiosity and pub-table cackling; you’ll learn about pan-European harvest demons and still snort ale through your nose. Dodging the obvious, and spotlighting films that beg for cult-classic status. Each conversation is an easy listen where no hot-take is safe from ridicule, and folklore jargon translated into plain English; no gate-keeping, just lots of laughs!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Davidson, Dave Houghton, David Hall Arte
Episodi
  • His House

    His House
    Aug 6 2026

    Bol and Rial escape South Sudan, enter the British asylum system and discover that trauma has followed them into the wallpaper. FolknHell debate Remi Weekes's His House, its terrifying apeth and whether travelling folklore still counts as folk horror.


    A grim English house, a Dinka night witch and three men immediately making the folk horror definition everybody's problem.


    In Episode 28, Andy Davidson, Dave Houghton and David Hall discuss Remi Weekes's His House (2020), starring Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu and Matt Smith. Bol and Rial have survived war, displacement and a lethal crossing, only to be placed in a decaying home where the walls are noisy, the dead are restless and the asylum rules make moving out rather awkward.


    The conversation gets into the film's refugee trauma, survivor's guilt and low-level bureaucratic nightmare, plus Bol's desperate push to assimilate and Rial's refusal to treat the past like unwanted luggage. There is plenty of admiration for the performances, the labyrinthine council estate, the watery footprints and one light-switch sequence that could have gone on all night, in the nicest possible appalling way.


    Then comes the apeth in the room. Is His House folk horror because its terror grows from Dinka folklore and inherited belief? Or is it a psychological ghost story that happens to contain a witch? Dave and David say not quite folk horror. Andy says yes, then accepts defeat under protest and begins considering restraints!


    Spoilers throughout. Watch the film first unless you enjoy having your moral devastation efficiently pre-delivered.


    FolknHell Verdict

    His House is not traditional, land-bound folk horror, but it has strong folkloric bones and makes a compelling case for folk horror that travels with displaced people. Whatever shelf it ends up on, all three hosts agree it is concise, intelligent, frightening and well worth watching, then arguing about long after the walls have stopped whispering.


    Scores

    • Dave Houghton: 7/10

    • David Hall: 7/10

    • Andy Davidson: 7.5/10

    • Combined score: 21.5/30


    • IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8508734/

    • TMDb: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/575774-his-house

    • Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/his_house

    • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_House


    Content Warning: Spoilers throughout, with discussion of war, displacement, racism, refugee trauma, child death, drowning, grief, violence and disturbing supernatural imagery.

    Folknhell is the folk horror podcast where Andy Davidson, Dave Houghton and David Hall dig into strange cinema, argue about whether it really counts as folk horror, and score every film out of 30.


    Add your own score and comments about the films at https://www.folknhell.com/scores


    Find us on the socials:

    • YouTube: @folknhell
    • Facebook: FolknHell
    • X: @FolknHell
    • Bluesky: FolknHell


    See acast.com/privacy for info.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    47 min
  • The Witch

    The Witch
    Jul 23 2026

    FolknHell enters Robert Eggers’ The Witch (2016) with special guest Ian Winterton. Is this the perfect modern folk horror film, or does its Christian Devil complicate the usual ancient-threat rules? Expect Puritan pride, phenomenal performances, baby mush and Black Phillip at full gallop.


    In Episode 27, Andy Davidson, Dave Houghton and David Hall are joined by writer, lecturer and former film critic Ian Winterton to discuss Robert Eggers’ feature debut, The Witch.


    The family is isolated, the corn is rotting and the goat is considerably more articulate than anyone would like. The group digs into William’s pride, Thomasin’s place inside a collapsing patriarchal household, Eggers’ obsessive historical research, the period dialogue and a cast firing at frankly indecent levels.


    Then Ian throws a crooked branch into the usual FolknHell criteria. If the threat is Christianity, Satanism and European witchcraft carried into New England by settlers, does it really count as an older force rising from the land? The answer leads into ergot theories, folktale logic, the Unholy Trinity and a firm final verdict on the film’s folk horror credentials.


    There is also admiration for Harvey Scrimshaw’s extraordinary death scene, the almost invisible appearance of the Devil’s red boot, the ecstatic final flight and the early sequence that has made many unsuspecting viewers quietly decide they have somewhere else to be.


    Spoilers throughout. Watch the film before listening unless you are happy to meet Black Phillip contractually unprepared.


    FolknHell Verdict

    The Witch is unequivocally folk horror, even if it makes the checklist squirm. Isolation, inherited belief, landscape, accusation and religious terror do the heavy lifting, while the supernatural gives the family’s collapse a beautifully wicked shove. It is severe, meticulous and one of the defining horror films of its era. Watch it, then listen to the argument.


    Scores
    • Dave Houghton: 9/10
    • David Hall: 10/10
    • Andy Davidson: 9/10


    Links

    - Ian Winterton: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3410151/

    - IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4263482/

    - TMDb: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/310131-the-witch

    - Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_witch_2016

    - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witch_(2015_film)


    Folknhell is the folk horror podcast where Andy Davidson, Dave Houghton and David Hall dig into strange cinema, argue about whether it really counts as folk horror, and score every film out of 30.


    Add your own score and comments about the films at https://www.folknhell.com/scores


    Find us on the socials:

    • YouTube: @folknhell
    • Facebook: FolknHell
    • X: @FolknHell
    • Bluesky: FolknHell


    See acast.com/privacy for info.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 ora e 2 min
  • The Blood On Satan's Claw (1971)

    The Blood On Satan's Claw (1971)
    Jul 9 2026
    FolknHell dig up The Blood On Satan’s Claw, Piers Haggard’s 1971 folk horror classic, originally released as Satan’s Skin, and ask, "Is it one of the true pillars of the genre, or just a disjointed rural nightmare with excellent eyebrows?"This episode, Andy Davidson, Dave Houghton and David Hall head into the furrows for The Blood On Satan’s Claw, Piers Haggard’s 1971 tale of rural panic, possessed children, suspiciously hairy patches and authority figures making one terrible decision after another.Often named as part of folk horror’s so-called Unholy Trinity alongside The Wicker Man and Witchfinder General, this is a film with impeccable credentials: an isolated village, something nasty unearthed from the land, old evil pushing up through the soil, and a community that reacts to crisis with all the calm restraint of a mob holding rope.The chaps discuss the film’s odd portmanteau origins, its brilliant but bumpy structure, Angel Blake’s alarming rise as the leader of the village children, the deeply uncomfortable mix of sex, violence and moral panic, and whether this is actually the most openly supernatural member of the Unholy Trinity.There is also time for Anthony Ainley’s excellent priest, Patrick Wymark’s magnificently unpleasant judge, the skull with the living eye, Satan being assembled like a rural occult flat-pack, and the heroic return of the wobbly sword.Scores are cast, claws are counted, and the big question is asked: is The Blood On Satan’s Claw a great folk horror film, or just a flawed but essential one?Spoilers throughout, obviously. If you have not seen the film, consider this your warning from the edge of the field.FolknHell VerdictThe Blood On Satan’s Claw is absolutely folk horror. Rural isolation, threat from the land, old evil, corrupted youth, religious authority, mob justice and deeply strange local behaviour all come bundled together in one filthy little 1971 package.It is also messy, abrupt and sometimes baffling, but that is part of its strange power. The FolknHell score: 19 out of 30.ScoresDavid Hall: 6/10Dave Houghton: 6/10Andy Davidson: 7/10Total: 19/30Links:Read the episode review: [FolknHell review page link]Read the full transcript: [FolknHell transcript page link]Read the deeper blog article: [FolknHell blog article link]Read the full transcript: [FolknHell transcript page link]TMDbRotten TomatoesSuggested Tagsfolk horror, British horror, The Blood On Satan’s Claw, Satan’s Skin, Piers Haggard, Tigon, 1970s horror, Unholy Trinity, occult horror, rural horror, FolknHellContent WarningContains discussion of sexual violence, child death, body horror, religious abuse, mob justice and spoilers for The Blood On Satan’s Claw.Folknhell is the folk horror podcast where Andy Davidson, Dave Houghton and David Hall dig into strange cinema, argue about whether it really counts as folk horror, and score every film out of 30.Add your own score and comments about the films at https://www.folknhell.com/scoresFind us on the socials:YouTube: @folknhellFacebook: FolknHellX: @FolknHellBluesky: FolknHellSee acast.com/privacy for info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    49 min
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