Lord Of Misrule is a traditional folk horror film that follows in the footsteps of The Wicker Man about Christianity versus paganism. Needless to say, The Wicker Man is the best example of this theme and Lord Of Misrule follows the same rules. Rebecca is a woman of faith who ends up wrapped up in a world of ancient traditions tied to the spirit of the harvest. Just like in The Wicker Man, this person of Christian faith must find a missing child who can be used as an offering to an entity that will bless the harvest in return. The film is very suspense-oriented and uses atmosphere and soundtrack to build tension or the feeling that something is going to happen. The story takes its time to move forward and gives enough time to understand what is happening. Good direction and atmosphere help the story not feel so slow and get some attention. The entire production, technical section and editing make the film an intriguing experience that keeps the plot active. Although there is a lot of similarity to The Wicker Man, the only difference is that in this film the spirit Gallowgog is a real entity. In The Wicker Man it was only suggested that the cult acted according to ancient customs without the intervention of a specific entity. The curious thing is that The Wicker Man was going to have a sequel where the pagan gods were going to appear as real entities. Lord Of Misrule takes this latter so that it doesn't seem like the villagers are just following their customs out of false idolatry. Here there is a harvest spirit that comes to intervene at a certain point and that challenges Rebecca's faith. She thinks that the villagers are following a blind faith and does not believe that there is another entity apart from God. As the film progresses, she discovers that there is something else that the villagers fear and she becomes the only one who can face it if she wants to get Grace back. Rebecca's faith is put to the test to see that there is something beyond, and the twist here is that unlike the villagers, only a person of faith can stand up to Gallowgog once they accept his existence. The ending of the film is not entirely clear, but it leaves open certain possibilities such as a pact with the spirit, an important role for Rebecca, the acceptance of the village traditions or the assimilation of the Christian faith with the villagers' beliefs. That is something that each person will interpret in their own way. The great thing about Lord Of Misrule is that it is a film that offers a glimpse into the terrifying side of folklore. Folkloric horror always offers that, but Lord Of Misrule does it through the mythology of Gallowgog. There are not many films that offer a glimpse into fear from the world of mythology, since horror is characterized by fear of the unknown. That fear also applies in an ancient world where mythological creatures could be man's worst nightmare. Gallowgog is a mythological creature that inspires fear in its followers and that is where creatures from myths and legends play a role in the terrifying part of folklore. Lord Of Misrule ends up being a good folk horror movie for giving mythology a chance and not focusing only on Christianity versus paganism. It is not that folk horror does not give mythology a chance, it is just that giving participation to mythological beings like Gallowgog ends up contributing a lot to the concept of this cinematic genre. My final rating for this movie is 8/10.
