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The first trailer for new folk horror Starve Acre is here, and it's suitably chilling.
Starring House of the Dragon's Matt Smith and Rings of Power star Morfydd Clark, the film is based on the novel of the same name by Andrew Michael Hurley. It sees the pair play a couple who must navigate a sudden tragedy involving their young son. As they come to grips with their new reality, strange and supernatural evils start haunting their isolated home.
The trailer gives us a hint at the dark tone of the folk horror directed by Apostasy's Daniel Kokotajlo. We also get a better indication of the story as Richard (Smith) and Juliette (Clark) deal with their trauma in mysterious ways. Possession, a creepy tree, gore, and a tense soundtrack all haunt the terrifying first trailer. Watch it below.
If that wasn't all, there's also another trailer (via Nerdist) that looks even more retro. "That was something totally unexpected. Feels like a film from the 70's. Plus a great cast too," writes one reaction.
The film is currently got a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on seven reviews, after its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival back in 2023. Among the favorable reactions, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw wrote that "Smith and Clark, at the head of a very capable supporting cast, keep the movie on an even dramatic keel, with intelligent, thought-through performances".
Meanwhile, Variety’s Guy Lodge concluded: "Daniel Kokotajlo‘s impressive second feature unfolds in a vein of British folk horror that has been popular of late, but rarely with such rattling sensory specificity or formal refinement."
Starve Acre is due to be released in the US via Brain Media this summer on July 26. In the UK, the BFI is distributing and it will be released on September 6. For more, check our guides to all the upcoming horror movies and the best horror movies of all time.
