Jay Rohr
Lore is a wonderful collection of casual scares. This isn’t the kind of heavy horror that ruins sleep for days. It’s an anthology of popcorn frights perfect for Friday night. That said, there’s a certain charming delight in creepy shorts that’re clearly for fun.
The frame story sets up a group of friends venturing into the woods for an immersive spooky experience. In the middle of nowhere they encounter Darwin (Richard Brake), their unsettling host who asks each to share a scary campfire story. So unfolds four tales of terror that cover a wide spectrum of sinister scenarios. From ghostly dancers to outright slashers, occult activities, madness, and blood fill the evening.
Something foul is afoot, but it doesn’t get revealed until the end, essentially making the frame story a fifth short film. In any case, this helps maintain the casual air of each teller. The group seems to be having more fun than frights, which is the vibe Lore gives off. Despite the horrors in every tale, there’s something amusing that runs throughout. For example, the section entitled “Cross Your Heart” features a dreadful fellow running afoul of occultists. It’s a classic horror situation where someone unpleasant gets their comeuppance and there’s a certain delightful, albeit dark, schadenfreude watching him suffer. It calls to mind classic creepy TV like Tales from the Crypt, Night Gallery, or Tales from the Darkside.
One of the films’ overall strengths is the ability to hit the ground running. The first story in particular “Shadows” begins in medias res. Yet, it’s immediately clear what’s occurring. There is some exposition in other features such as “The Hidden Woman” but Lore is good at getting to the point. The various premises are delivered, and it doesn’t take a PhD to decipher what’s about to transpire. In fact, part of the fun is anticipating the calamity that’s clearly coming.
Narrative simplicity then allows Lore to focus on playing out its scary situations. Most of these are done well. There are some low-budget constraints but nothing that ever impairs the terror. “Shadows” is a kind of creature feature that smartly keeps its monster out of sight. “Cross Your Heart” has occult costumes that’re deceptively simple and fantastically designed. “The Hidden Woman” puts its budget towards stylizing the ghost at the heart of its narrative. Meanwhile, those that need it, “The Keychain Man” in particular, put a proper amount of pennies aside for convincing gore.
Lore takes full advantage of the anthology format. Even the shortcomings in its four twisted tales could be considered part of their campfire origins. Supposedly composed on the spot, it’s easier to forgive slight slips in the scary stories. But that’s assuming one nitpicks what often feels like a sit back and relax thrill ride. Lore may not be perfect; however, it easily beats out abysmal shlock like The Omicron Killer.
The frame story is called “The Campfire.” Written and directed by Patrick Ryder, he also steered and penned several of the other shorts along with Christine Barber-Ryder. Yet, even when others take the helm — “Shadows” is from writer-director James Bushe while “Cross Your Heart” comes courtesy of Greig Johnson — the overall tone is never lost. Despite the many cooks in the kitchen, everyone involved with Lore is adding to the same menu.
Visual consistency is probably best attributed to Scott Coulter. His cinematography captures dimly lit settings which offer shreds of light. Through such shadows specters dance or hidden within them monsters lurk depending on the narrative. Still, darkness isn’t everything. There are wise choices when it comes to illuminated areas. “The Keychain Man” has grimy dishwater visuals while “Cross Your Heart” brings up the light to help the gore shine.
Performances throughout are fine. Lore might not clean up come award season, but no one is so bad the illusion breaks. And some of the better performances are hard to describe without spoilers. At risk of such, Katie Sheridan (Firecracker) as Cath does a wonderfully wicked turn as her character becomes evil. Dean Bone (Drunken Butterflies) as Mark is perfectly smarmy, conveying that kind of person who loves to insist they aren’t scared in haunted houses. Richard Brake (Barbarian) is an excellent choice as the creepy host but once his opening monologue is done there’s little for him to do. The role unfortunately doesn’t carry on throughout the movie like Clarence Williams III did as Mr. Simms in Tales from the Hood (1995).
Perhaps what works best is how Lore leaves the door open for more. In addition, as an anthology film, any of the flicks that aren’t appealing end soon enough. Fans of the V/H/S franchise know well that some shorts are more superb than others. That’s partly what makes Lore an ideal beer and a pizza motion picture. It’s the kind of movie that friends can debate their favorites after watching, or if the desire arises, pick it to pieces wondering what could’ve been done better.
This is an honest attempt at horror. While other flicks may lean into humor to excuse shortcomings, Lore only does so to amuse. Any low-budget aspects or imperfections are usually obstacles overcome by cinematic tricks that keep things sinister. Though they may still be noticeable, so is the effort to smooth out the rough edges. It never feels like the filmmakers threw up their hands and tried to cram failure down the eyes of audiences. That makes for a forgivably flawed honest effort.
Fans of franchises like V/H/S, Creepshow, or any of the various Tales from, whether they be the Darkside, Hood, or Crypt, should give Lore a chance. It’ll feed the need for something polished until a fresher film arrives. Lore is first coming to the Icon Film Channel on August 26th before a theatrical release in select UK cinemas September 27th followed by TVOD around October 21st. That means plenty of chances to see Lore, especially around Halloween.
