A young woman finds herself at odds with her neighbours in a remote community of religious fanatics, led by her father, the town Pastor (Toby Stephens). With her abusive husband having been killed under mysterious circumstances, Magpie (Emma Appleton) is already an outcast. When another monstrous man (Oliver Maltman) turns up dead after a run-in with Magpie, she finds herself the prime suspect – never mind the white-eyed horned beast lurking in the woods.
Directed by Dean Puckett, The Severed Sun is a stark work of folk horror, cross-breeding the small-town hysteria of The Scarlet Letter with classic genre stories Witchfinder General and The Witch. By not specifying when or where we are exactly, the film achieves a sense of timelessness, which works in its favour, leaving the audience constantly unmoored and on edge. The rolling hills of Cornwall perform as an intimidating backdrop to this fable of religious panic and perpetual misogyny. It’s a bare bones narrative, but a compelling one nevertheless, throbbing with palpable dread as it builds to its unhinged climax.
However, the stripped-back approach doesn’t apply to its cast, which is abundant with talent. Appleton makes a spirited lead, while former Bond villain Stephens is a commanding presence as her father. Elsewhere, Lewis Gribben (Black Mirror, Generation Z) continues to prove himself a talent to be watched as local lad David. Stealing his every scene without even showing his face, James Swanton dons the demonic horns to play the creature lurking in the woods – another feather in the cap for one of horror’s most prolific monster actors who you’ve probably never heard of. Like everything else, the creature design is simple but effective, setting this entry into the subgenre apart from the rest.
A sparse yet fertile modern (yet very not modern!) folk horror tale, The Severed Sun keeps its slimy black tendrils lodged in one’s brain long after the end credits roll.
THE SEVERED SUN is out now via digital platforms.
