Lord of Misrule (2023) Review

Lord of Misrule, is the latest film from director William Brent Bell and is a folk horror opus that centres on a young girls disappearance during a small villages harvest festival where the title of the film acts as the main protagonist and her parents descent into the madness of the festival, and run afoul with a motley crew of mysterious and sinister characters who can’t be trusted at all.

Bell has previously helmed the likes of The Devil Inside, The Boy and Orphan: First Kill so knows a thing or two about how to create an unnerving atmosphere with his work but this is amped up here even more with the small village and it’s very local occupants that it is set in acting as a base for something much more sinister.

As with every folk horror film released after 1973, there are obviously going to be parallels drawn, both visually and its overall feeling and story with the undisputed classic that is The Wicker Man, so let’s get that out of the way, but Lord of Misrule certainly has enough of its own elements going on to feel fresh and is a genuinely enjoyable film while adding an air of disturbance throughout its duration, the pagan imagery is constantly throughout the film, and definitely adds to that air of menace.

That genuinely unsettling atmosphere, that prevails over Lord of Misrule is its biggest strength and the mood just amps up the tension all the way through to the movies satisfying conclusion.

The leads in Lord of Misrule all give great performances with Tuppence Middleton as reverend Rebecca Holland delivering a great turn as the panicked mother trying to make sense of all the madness in the village while doing all she can to try and save her young daughter Grace from the clutches of evil. Middleton acts as the stronger half of her marriage to Henry (played, and played well, for the most part as pretty clueless by Matt Stokoe) as both parents strive to rescue Grace, with this assured dominance leading to a a great showdown at the end of the film.

With the Holland family acting as the good in Lord Of Misrule, the evil is personified by the rest of the village and the brilliant Ralph Ineson, at the head of this, is perfectly cast as Jocelyn Abney, a commanding character who isn’t quite as he seems and gives a strong and genuinely creepy performance that means he steals every scene he appears in, and his presence looms large over the vibe of the movie.

The haunting music that soundtracks Lord of Misrule deserves a mention as well and is used sparingly but ultimately works extremely well to create the menacing atmosphere that is all over this movie like the swirling mist of the forest that’s acts as a centrepoint in the plot.
Lord of Misrule moves along at a swift pace throughout and there are a few scares that abound now and again but the overriding feeling of menace is what makes this film so dark and unsettling, and this combined with the twists and turns of the story equals a great horror film.

If you want a film to make you feel uneasy with so much great imagery at its core, then Lord of Misrule is definitely one for you, and is a welcome addition to the cannon of folk horror cinema.

Movie Rating:

Lord of Misrule trailer