IN THE EARTH directed by Ben Wheatley (UK/USA, 2021)
How do make a horror movie during a full-blown pandemic? First, lockdown rules dictate that you must have a small, socially distanced cast. Second, the film has to be shot well away from urban ‘civilisation’.
Ben Wheatley achieves this with ‘In The Earth’, a movie that not only references a Covid-19 style global calamity but also uses the virus to tentatively explore the implications for the future of humanity.
The extent of its serious message is, however, mitigated by some folkloric mumbo jumbo surrounding a made up myth of a woodland monster (or process) that answers to the name of Parnag Fegg.
The presence of this woodland spirit directly and indirectly foils the attempt of two scientists – Martin (Joel Fry) and Alma (Ellora Torchia) – to reach a forest outpost where they planned to conduct some unspecified experiments.
After being attacked and robbed by persons (or monsters?) unknown they encounter a soft spoken bearded woodland dweller named Zach. This Jesus-like figure initially seems to be their saviour but soon shows himself to be unhinged. As Zach , Reece Shearsmith, manages to be convincing both as a gentle earth warrior and an axe-wielding maniac.
He is also seems to be some breed of no-vax conspiracy theorist. Martin’s parents died as a result of the virus and Zach berates the biologist for “choosing the wrong brand of science”. It becomes clear that his take on the ‘right kind of science’ prioritises ‘natural’ forces which entails a justification for human sacrifice.
In escaping his lunatic clutches, the hapless boffins reach the outpost where they encounter Dr. Olivia Wendle (Hayley Squires). She is Martin’s ex-lover (“It’s personal”) and, it quickly transpires, is the estranged wife of mad Zach.
Wheatley reasons that by this point the movie audience is probably getting seriously confused . This is presumably why we have to endure some lengthy expository speeches from Dr.Wendle. During one, she explains the difference between idolatry and science. At first, she seems to be on the side of the latter but it’s gradually obvious that she’s as bat shit crazy as Zach so the threat of Parnag Fegg remains.
A vague overriding premise of this movie is that, by understanding nature’s darkest secrets, humans may somehow learn to live together in perfect harmony without destroying each other. Needless to say the conclusion of the movie doesn’t suggest that the planet is heading for such a utopian outcome. If you’ve seen any Wheatley movie, you know that events will inevitably descend at some point into splatter and general mayhem. And so it proves.
‘In The Earth’ deserves praise for making a virtue out of the necessity of working within a lockdown bubble. However, despite expertly balancing the scary with the weird, it pales in comparison to Wheatley’s peerless ‘A Field in England’ (UK, 2013) which remains his folk horror masterpiece .
