Lord of Misrule (film)

Lord of Misrule is a 2024 British/Irish folk horror film directed by William Brent Bell, starring Tuppence Middleton, Ralph Ineson and Matt Stokoe.

Lord of Misrule
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	William Brent Bell
Screenplay by	Tom de Ville
Produced by	Deepak Nayar, Nik Bower, Jason Newmark, Laurie Cooke, William Brent Bell, James Tomlinson, Alison Brister
Starring	Tuppence Middleton Ralph Ineson Matt Stokoe
Cinematography	Simon Rowling
Edited by	Andrew Leven
Music by	Brett Detar
Release date	8 January 2024 (2024-01-08) (UK)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United Kingdom/Ireland

Plot

Rebecca Holland has recently taken as vicar of the parish church of Burrow, a rural English village. After attending a village harvest festival at which her daughter Grace is chosen as the 'Harvest Angel', Grace goes missing. Villagers and the police search for her, but the traditions in the village surrounding the god Gallowgog begin to cause suspicion.

Cast

• Tuppence Middleton as Rebecca Holland
• Matt Stokoe as Henry Holland
• Evie Templeton as Grace Holland
• Ralph Ineson as Jocelyn Abney
• Alexa Goodall as Bryony Furleigh
• Anton Valensi as George Furleigh
• Rosalind March as Miri Tremlow
• Jane Wood as Ida Tremlow
• Sally Plumb as Marjorie Garfoot
• David Langham as DI Hythe
• Robert Goodman as Graham Nash

Production

Filming took place in Aldbury, Hertfordshire, starting in 2021. The film was developed by Bankside Films, with UK rights sold to Signature Entertainment in 2023.

Release

The film was released digitally on 8 January 2024.

Critical reception

Lord of Misrule has a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Leslie Felperin, in The Guardian, awarded it two stars, calling it "a poor man's reworking" of The Wicker Man. Alan Jacques, for the Limerick Post, awarded three stars, describing the film as having "heaps of unfulfilled potential. Palpable atmosphere and compelling drama are often lost in a muddle of cliches and shiftless theatrics. Overall though, the absorbing twist at the end more than makes up for many of its inadequacies." Meagan Navarro, for Bloody Disgusting, wrote that the film "can't fully escape the trappings established by quintessential folk horror films like The Wicker Man", but "is carried by the strength of its intriguing mythology and stunning production value". Daniel Akinbola, for Filmhounds, gave it three stars, stating that it "doesn't do anything innovative", but "is a solid folk horror with a few stand out moments and solid performances".

External links

• Official website
• Lord of Misrule at IMDb