In my 20+ years of reviewing movies for home video, I have never come across a box set quite like this. ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS is a 15 disc collection of "Folk Horror" that includes 19 movies, a documentary, and 3 CDs. One CD is the documentary soundtrack. The other two feature a complete reading of Welsh author Arthur Machen's THE WHITE PEOPLE which deals with encounters with forest Deities.
The 19 films are a mix from several countries. 4 are from the U. K., 4 from Australia, 5 from Central Europe, 2 from Italy, 2 from Scandinavia, and 1 each from Canada and the U. S. All films are in their native languages and have subtitles. There are no English dubs. The documentary, WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED, is British made.
From my perspective, while all 19 films have their merits, I would only want to revisit 12. These include 3 British titles (ANCHORESS, PENDA'S FEN, ROBIN REDBREAST), 3 Australian (ALISON'S BIRTHDAY, CELIA, KADAICHA), 4 of the 5 Central European movies (LEPTIRICA, LOKIS, VIY, WILCZYCA), one from Italy (IL DEMONIO), and one from America (EYES OF FIRE).
That being said, I would consider 5 of those 12 films to be outside the realm of "Folk Horror" Those movies are ANCHORESS, CELIA, PENDA'S FEN, IL DEMONIO, and LAKE OF THE DEAD. 4 of the 5 are reality based. PENDA'S FEN deals with its central character's visions which are not based in folklore. IL DEMONIO (1963) is remarkably similar to THE EXORCIST although it is based on fact and was made 10 years earlier.
The films which didn't appeal to me were CLEARCUT, DARK WATERS, THE DREAMING, A FIELD IN ENGLAND, TILBURY, and WITCHHAMMER. The primary reason being I found them to be too graphically violent. Also a few had nothing to do with the subject matter. 2 of the movies, TILBURY, from Iceland, and A FIELD IN ENGLAND were just completely bizarre. The former was singularly unpleasant while the latter was way too difficult to follow.
However the extras provided more than enough to make the set worth having for the discriminating horror film fan. The 3 hour plus documentary WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED is thorough and utterly fascinating. It should be viewed first before tackling the movies as it provides necessary background. There is also a CD soundtrack album with all the music used in the doc.
Also included, as mentioned earlier, is a 2 CD audiobook of THE WHITE PEOPLE, beautifully read by British actress Linda Hayden who fans will remember from 1971's folk horror movie THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW. Each film includes at least one commentary and several discs include short films that are related. Finally, a 154 page booklet provides a brief summary of the 19 movies and also contains a variety of relevant articles.
ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS won't ever be popular with the general public and it wasn't intended to be so. This set was created for horror film connoisseurs or those interested in multi-cultural folktales and legends. Severin Films, who recently have specialized in designer box sets for lesser known or forgotten European horror films, have outdone themselves with this presentation. Just too bad the movies selected for inclusion are so uneven...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.
The 19 films are a mix from several countries. 4 are from the U. K., 4 from Australia, 5 from Central Europe, 2 from Italy, 2 from Scandinavia, and 1 each from Canada and the U. S. All films are in their native languages and have subtitles. There are no English dubs. The documentary, WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED, is British made.
From my perspective, while all 19 films have their merits, I would only want to revisit 12. These include 3 British titles (ANCHORESS, PENDA'S FEN, ROBIN REDBREAST), 3 Australian (ALISON'S BIRTHDAY, CELIA, KADAICHA), 4 of the 5 Central European movies (LEPTIRICA, LOKIS, VIY, WILCZYCA), one from Italy (IL DEMONIO), and one from America (EYES OF FIRE).
That being said, I would consider 5 of those 12 films to be outside the realm of "Folk Horror" Those movies are ANCHORESS, CELIA, PENDA'S FEN, IL DEMONIO, and LAKE OF THE DEAD. 4 of the 5 are reality based. PENDA'S FEN deals with its central character's visions which are not based in folklore. IL DEMONIO (1963) is remarkably similar to THE EXORCIST although it is based on fact and was made 10 years earlier.
The films which didn't appeal to me were CLEARCUT, DARK WATERS, THE DREAMING, A FIELD IN ENGLAND, TILBURY, and WITCHHAMMER. The primary reason being I found them to be too graphically violent. Also a few had nothing to do with the subject matter. 2 of the movies, TILBURY, from Iceland, and A FIELD IN ENGLAND were just completely bizarre. The former was singularly unpleasant while the latter was way too difficult to follow.
However the extras provided more than enough to make the set worth having for the discriminating horror film fan. The 3 hour plus documentary WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED is thorough and utterly fascinating. It should be viewed first before tackling the movies as it provides necessary background. There is also a CD soundtrack album with all the music used in the doc.
Also included, as mentioned earlier, is a 2 CD audiobook of THE WHITE PEOPLE, beautifully read by British actress Linda Hayden who fans will remember from 1971's folk horror movie THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW. Each film includes at least one commentary and several discs include short films that are related. Finally, a 154 page booklet provides a brief summary of the 19 movies and also contains a variety of relevant articles.
ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS won't ever be popular with the general public and it wasn't intended to be so. This set was created for horror film connoisseurs or those interested in multi-cultural folktales and legends. Severin Films, who recently have specialized in designer box sets for lesser known or forgotten European horror films, have outdone themselves with this presentation. Just too bad the movies selected for inclusion are so uneven...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.