One of the Best Folk Horror Movies of the Decade Has Been Hiding Out on Streaming
Starve Acre, a 2023 folk horror film currently streaming on Shudder, is being highlighted as one of the standout entries in the genre from the past decade, despite receiving relatively little attention on release. Directed by Daniel Kokotajlo and set in 1970s Yorkshire, the film distinguishes itself from genre touchstones like The Wicker Man and Midsommar by foregrounding dread and grief rather than the slow-burn mystery typical of folk horror, forcing audiences to confront tragedy early rather than piecing together ominous symbolism.
The film stars Matt Smith (House of the Dragon) and Morfydd Clark (Rings of Power, Saint Maud) as Richard and Juliette, a couple who return to Richard's childhood home to help their son Owen's severe asthma, only for Owen's behaviour to worsen disturbingly, including an incident involving a horse. As the family confronts death and an unsettling connection to a figure named "Jack Grey" from Richard's own troubled childhood, the story uses archaeology, buried folklore symbols and a menacing hare to explore inherited trauma and abuse, with both Richard and Juliette drawn towards different reckonings with grief and the supernatural.
- Starve Acre, a 2023 folk horror film, is streaming on Shudder.
- Stars Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark as a couple facing family tragedy.
- Set in 1970s Yorkshire, it explores grief, trauma and inherited abuse.
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Starve Acre is a British folk horror film from 2023, directed by Daniel Kokotajlo and set in 1970s Yorkshire. It follows Richard and Juliette, a couple played by Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, who move into Richard's childhood home hoping it will help their young son's severe asthma, only for strange and troubling events to unfold as the family confronts grief and buried family history.
Folk horror is a genre built around rural settings, old rituals and half-remembered local folklore, with films like The Wicker Man and Midsommar as well-known reference points. Starve Acre is being singled out because it takes a different approach, dealing openly with loss and trauma from early on rather than building slowly towards a hidden mystery.
The film is being highlighted now because it went largely unnoticed on its original release but is available to watch on the streaming service Shudder, prompting renewed attention to a title some critics regard as one of the strongest folk horror films of the past decade.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates for this piece would argue that under-seen genre films deserve champions, and that Starve Acre merits attention precisely because it departs from the Wicker Man/Midsommar template of slow-burn mystery in favour of immediate, unflinching grief and dread. They would say its use of 1970s Yorkshire setting, archaeology and folklore to explore inherited trauma is a serious artistic achievement that streaming algorithms and awards attention often overlook, and that recommending it to a wider audience via Shudder is a valuable public service of criticism.
The case against
A more sceptical reader might counter that folk horror is a crowded field and that singling out one film as among the best of the decade is a strong, subjective claim that risks overpraising a modest genre entry to generate a compelling streaming recommendation headline. They might value comparative restraint, noting that abandoning the slow-burn mystery structure that defines the genre's classics could be seen as a departure that weakens rather than strengthens the film, and that its cast's fame (Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark) may be inflating interest disproportionate to the film's actual craft.