Starve Acre is an "unsettling folk horror" movie starring House of the Dragon star Matt Smith and Saint Maud's Morfydd Clark.
It's based on the award-winning 2019 novel "Starve Acre" by Andrew Michael Hurley and is adapted and directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, who won a Bafta nomination for his first film, Apostasy.
Set in the 1970s, it sees a Yorkshire couple's life unravel when their young son starts acting strangely.
Director Daniel Kokotajlo says: "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."
Here's everything we know…
Starve Acre release date
Starve Acre is released in the UK on September 6 2024. It originally premiered at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival. We don’t have a US release date yet. A digital release will follow on October 21 2024.
Cast
Former Doctor Who actor Matt Smith stars alongside Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's Morfydd Clark. The supporting cast includes Erin Richards, Robert Emms, Sean Gilder and Arthur Shaw.
Plot
We find ourselves in 1970s Yorkshire, meeting a happy young couple, Richard (Matt Smith) and Juliette Willoughby (Morfydd Clark). But their lives fall apart when their young son Owen starts acting weirdly and a tragic event occurs. Academic archaeologist Richard goes in search of a legendary oak tree that once stood on his land and is apparently blessed with amazing powers. Meanwhile, Juliette tries to find peace within the local community. However, the makers tease: "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."
The book on Amazon is described as "a novel about the way in which grief splits the world in two and how, in searching for hope, we can so easily unearth horror".
Is there a trailer?
Yes, here it is...
