The film is set in 1970s rural Yorkshire, and sees a couple’s family life thrown into turmoil.
Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark may currently be starring in two different big budget fantasy series right now, House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but they have also teamed up for new folk horror film Starve Acre.
The film, which is based on the 2019 novel by Andrew Michael Hurley and has been written and directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, also stars Erin Richards, Robert Emms, Sean Gilder and Arthur Shaw, and has now released its first trailer.
The trailer looks just as creepy as you might expect, as Richard and Juliette Willoughby, a couple living in 1970s rural Yorkshire, find their family life is thrown into turmoil when their young son Owen starts acting out of character.
You can watch the trailer right here now.
The official synopsis for the film says that it sees a sudden, tragic event bringing grief and driving a wedge between the once happy couple.
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The synopsis continues: “At Starve Acre, their remote family home, academic archaeologist Richard buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient oak tree that once stood on their land is imbued with phenomenal powers. While Juliette turns to the local community to find some kind of peace, Richard obsessively digs deeper.
“An unexpected discovery soon occupies the couple’s attention and dark and sinister forces, unwittingly allowed into their home, offer a disturbing possibility of reconnection between them.”
Kokotajlo said of the film: “I’m a sucker for films that put a spell on you with their attitudes and strange sensibilities. English folk tales like Starve Acre give you an opportunity to do that. It’s not just horror; it ends up in a weird, off-kilter place. It can be uncomfortably quiet and sensitive, then suddenly it slaps you in your face with its oddballness.
“That was the aim of this film: to create a mood of nervousness. Making an audience nervous results in a whole range of reactions: tears, screams or giggles. It’s my idea of cathartic fun. Starve Acre also taps into a timeless fear that feels more relevant than ever: the idea that returning home, to nature, and regressing into childhood, is a big mistake.
“The film removes the nostalgic, rose-tinted glasses, and shows us that there are dark things, long-buried superstitions, awaiting our return.”
Smith has also recently been cast in another new film, & Sons, which has been written by Women Talking director Sarah Polley and also stars Bill Nighy and George MacKay.
Starve Acre will open in UK and Irish cinemas on 6th September, and will arrive on BFI Player and Blu-ray on 21st October.
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