5 Tales of Folk Horror from TV Anthologies [Series of Frights]

Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.

As long as there have been people, there has been folklore. Folktales, folk art, superstitions — these things are integral to how a culture maintains its beliefs and practices. A common misconception is that folklore is limited to rural areas, but as many have come to learn, there is no stopping its reach or influence. 

With the world becoming more and more overwhelming nowadays, people naturally look to folk traditions in hopes of finding some clarity. Tucked away in history or obscured geographies, though, are the tales that unsettle even to this day. Televised stories like the following evoke an interest in simpler ways of life and specific customs, but they’re also rooted in folk horror.

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Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984-1985)
And the Wall Came Tumbling Down

This follow-up to Hammer House of Horror (also known as Fox Mystery Theater) doesn’t get talked about as much as its predecessor, but not necessarily because it lacks in quality. The Hammer-20th Century Fox Television collaboration has its fair share of entertaining episodes. For example, “And the Wall Came Tumbling Down” is an engrossing one where a curse from the past reemerges in the present. While the story is set in the mid-1980s, it frequently flashes back to London 1649 during a witch hunt.

Beginning in the past, a painter is convinced by a local coven to deface a church with satanic imagery. The artist confesses out of guilt and hands over the names of the coven members. The witches’ leader finally punishes the painter by burying him alive along with himself inside the church’s alcove. Back in the present day, the same church is set to be demolished when a worker is killed in a freak accident after tearing down a wall. The inspector who arrives to confirm if the building is or isn’t a landmark suspects something supernatural has been unleashed. Meanwhile, a local artist is experiencing episodes tying him directly to the events of the past.

As busy as the plot is, it’s also a tad too predictable. The writing makes no effort in concealing the identities in the reincarnation subplot or what’s to unfold by the episode’s end. Be that as it may, it’s well-made and solidly acted. The engaging leads Gareth Hunt and Barbi Benton star opposite Peter Wyngarde, whose villainous performance is noteworthy.

“And the Wall Came Tumbling Down” speeds along at a good pace and delivers a chilling ending. No big surprises here as the story doesn’t withhold anything, but all in all, it satisfies those who enjoy folk horror inspired by history.

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Monsters (1988-1991)
Museum Hearts

What better place to study folklore than a museum? A lothario named Danny (Patrick Breen) gets trapped after hours at work with both his girlfriend Edwina (Sarah Trigger) and his latest fling Cheryl (Louise Roberts) in Theodore Gershuny’s “Museum Hearts.” As the three look for a way out, the gallery’s latest acquisition suddenly comes to life; a preserved, 3000-year-old bog woman, whose petrified heart was removed by Danny, awakens and helps avenge Edwina.

Monsters took creative license with its subject matter when it branched outside traditional creatures, but the alleged monster at the core of this episode is really a follower of the figure named Ceridwen, not the Celtic goddess of change and rebirth herself. The episode identifies the bog woman as a Druid priestess and suggests she was drowned for practicing witchcraft.

While she looks fearsome, the bog woman behaves like a sort of patron saint for mistreated women. She immediately comes to the aid of Edwina, who walked in on Danny cheating on their anniversary, no less. The stolen heart is a clunky metaphor, but it plays to the episode’s themes.

Something else worth noting about “Museum Hearts” is the bierotic tone. When the witch invites Edwina and the naïve Cheryl into her improvised coven, their initiation is sensual. The women then consummate their union by sacrificing the callous philanderer who brought them together in the first place.

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Fear Itself (2008)
Community

Upholding unorthodox traditions is par for the course in folk horror. Yet from the looks of The Commons in the Fear Itself episode “Community,” one would not expect anything unusual going on behind the scenes. Looks can be deceiving, of course.

A twenty-something couple living in the big city, Bobby (Brandon Routh) and Tracy (Shiri Appleby), feels unhappy with their environment, so they take the advice of friends and move to a gated community in the suburbs called The Commons. The application process is daunting, but the two are accepted. It all seems like a dream come true until the place’s more disturbing policies come into view. Between their constant surveillance and contractual obligations regarding procreation, The Commons is not the ideal home Bobby and Tracy want to raise their children in. Unfortunately, escaping seems near impossible.

Director Mary Harron and writer Kelly Kennemer put together a menacing episode about communal living and the extent people will go to to achieve domestic bliss. The story’s villains designed what they believed to be a utopia based on the best aspects of other communities throughout history. The result is an authoritarian microcosm where adulterers are publicly flogged and insurgents are unduly punished.

“Community” is low-key compared to other offerings in Fear Itself, and maybe it’s also too derivative of similar works like Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” or Tom Tryon’s novel Harvest Home. Even so, the episode’s appeal is its timeless relevance. People tend to think folk horror can only happen in bucolic locales, but this episode is a reminder of how sinister traditions can travel to familiar settings.

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Folklore (2018-)
Tatami

From hiding one’s belly button during a thunderstorm, to never writing someone’s name in red ink, superstitions are not in short supply in Japan. These folksy and often historically-rooted beliefs are a prevalent part of Japanese culture, and they range from harmless to life-threatening. Somewhere in the middle is a spate of beliefs about tatami, a traditional floor mat in Japan. One in particular — tatami absorb emotions — is the inspiration for Takumi Saitō’s Folklore episode.

Kazuki Kitamura plays Makoto, a deaf writer who is summoned to his childhood home by his estranged mother (Misuzu Kanno) after learning his father has passed away. During his stay, Makoto discovers a secret door that unlocks painful memories he tried so hard to forget.

As absurd as this episode’s tatami myth may sound, the idea of inanimate things developing and storing memories isn’t unheard of. The people in these items’ lives come and go, but they leave behind unseen and permanent impressions. The end result isn’t too far removed from the origin of a cursed object or the concept of animism.

Overall, “Tatami” is an impressive-looking episode with opulent cinematography by dint of Shin Hayasaka. The meticulous and catch-all soundtrack soaks up every noise so audiences will feel as if they are there with Makoto. The crushingly blue tint to every scene subdues an otherwise stressful story full of formative trauma.

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Bloodride (2020)
Ultimate Sacrifice

“Ultimate Sacrifice” follows a down-on-their-luck family moving from the city to the country town of Horgen. The reluctant matriarch Molly (Ine Marie Wilmann) is desperate to return home, though. So when she sees an opportunity to make money after witnessing her new neighbors conduct a dark ritual in the woods, Molly does the unthinkable and joins them.

Animal lovers are advised to avoid the opening episode in the Norwegian anthology Bloodride. Had this story aired decades earlier, it would be more appalling; even now, it’s dreadful to watch. Upon moving to the area, Molly notices how every one of her neighbors has a pet they dote on. The excessive affection makes sense once Molly is keyed in on the locals’ secret to success; they sacrifice their animals in exchange for wealth.

Horgen is built on an old Viking village and the pets are offered up on a mystical stone in the forest. The more someone loves their sacrifice, the more they are rewarded. Molly can’t quite master the rules because she doesn’t love the family dog all that much, so she has to make a difficult decision — abandon her aspiration to be rich, or yield something she unequivocally loves.

The episode’s plot borrows bits and pieces from popular folk horror films like The Wicker Man and Pet Sematary. A metropolitan newcomer gawks at the residents’ bizarre customs before succumbing to the same motivations or suffering a cruel fate. The episode is a brutal morality tale where no one wins, and the lesson is eclipsed by the buildup and conclusion. The shock value dissipates as the ending approaches, but viewers won’t forget their initial reactions.