Saturday returns this week with the theme British folk horror!

We'll be streaming "the unholy trinity!" Three classics that define the genre, starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee, among others.

1. WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) 8:00

2. THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1971) ~9:40

3. THE WICKER MAN (1973) ~11:20

All times are US CST. Follow the link below and give me a heads up if you would like to watch along!

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

Here's an interesting (and quick) article about "the unholy trinity" and other British folk horror films, from Adam Scovell for the British Film Institute:

Where to begin with folk horror
A beginner’s path through the haunted landscapes of ‘folk horror’.

bfi.org.uk/features/where-begi

Saturday at 8 PM Central: a fictionalised account of the murderous witch-hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price), a lawyer who falsely claimed to have been appointed as a "Witch Finder General" by Parliament during the English Civil War to root out sorcery and witchcraft. Directed by Michael Reeves.

Trailer: youtu.be/O3Mfes57Nt8

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

Follow

Tomorrow after Witchfinder, (~9:40 PM US CST) it's THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1971) dir. Piers Haggard.

"When a mysterious corpse is accidentally dug up by a boy in a small town, a group of local teens starts acting very strangely..."

Trailer: youtu.be/ki4HeKMQd48

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

When Neil Howie, a Police Sergeant and devout Christian, journeys to the isolated Scottish island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl, he is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity in favor of a form of Celtic paganism, and suspects they are hiding something…

It’s THE WICKER MAN (1973) starting ~ 11:20 PM US CST after Witchfinder and Satan’s Claw!

Trailer: youtu.be/a-tDnavDCwI

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

Here’s a short article, made up of some interesting interviews with the director and musical director on the making of The Wicker Man, by Dave Simpson for The Guardian:

How we made The Wicker Man
“Director Robin Hardy and musical director Gary Carpenter remember a descent into paganism that started in a Manhattan hotel room and ended up with the film company rubbishing their own work”

google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardi

Different portrayals of wicker men.

Watch THE WICKER MAN (1973) tonight around 11:20 PM, US Central time, after WITCHFINDER GENERAL and THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW.

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

In addition to “the unholy trilogy” of Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, and The Wicker Man, I’ll be streaming the fantastic documentary, WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR (2021) dir. Kier-La Janisse, as a primer for the three feature films.

It’ll be starting in about 90 minutes from now.

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

50 Years Later, The Blood on Satan's Claw Is Still a Rich Piece of Haunting Folk Horror
by Michael Gursky

“50 years after its release isn't too late to celebrate the unshakably nightmarish mood of this dark arts romp about a village overcome by witch hysteria, now faced with a demonic force that's turning their children into furry, false God-worshipping killers. It's perhaps the most Hammer film Hammer never made.”

movieweb.com/the-blood-on-sata

Matthew Hopkins, Witch-Finder General
by Ellen Castelow

“Within the political and religious chaos that reigned throughout the period of the English Civil Wars, one previously unheard of Matthew Hopkins emerged.”

historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Hist

WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR (2021) dir. Kier-La Janisse

Starting this up on Discord in a minute. It's a great "pre-game" for tonight's triple-feature, as it discusses "the unholy trinity" extensively. Feel free to come watch along!

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

Reminder that our folk horror triple-feature starts in less than an hour. Come check it out, horror-heads! 💀

discord.gg/3Sh7Bq4g

@Jezibaba You still gotta finish Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, hey.

@Jezibaba I think we still have like an hour and a half to make it through. Was thinking of putting it on tomorrow as an appetizer, or maybe even for the extreme night owls.

@Apocryphiliac it’s giving me the same verify phone number to talk message again

@h2oaddicted Drat, I forgot to switch it. Should be good now.

@Apocryphiliac
This movie is soooo trippy!
has a pretty resoundingly evil plot twist in there too

@heatherdale Yeah, it’s a great exercise in building tension. 😉

Sign in to participate in the conversation

CounterSocial is the first Social Network Platform to take a zero-tolerance stance to hostile nations, bot accounts and trolls who are weaponizing OUR social media platforms and freedoms to engage in influence operations against us. And we're here to counter it.