Review of In the Earth (2021) by Jluis_001 — 08 May 2021

I can recognize when someone's trying to create something original, and Ben Wheatley had his idea, but other than that, he fell a long way from invoking something that was sinister or even disturbing.

In the Earth is touted as a folk horror tale with a pandemic theme.

Because apparently we want to continue watching new movies that remind us of that, right?

The film is set on a remote research site during an unspecified virus outbreak. However, that is all. This movie has nothing interesting or relevant to say about pandemics.

What follows in the story seems for a few moments The Blair Witch Project, an unseen attack in their tents is included.

And the story continues at a slow pace where we end up involved in laughable rituals involving an old stone monolith and a spirit of nature trying to make the whole thing look unsettling. Unfortunately for the director, the climax he builds looks more like a bad mushroom trip, and ends up provoking some unwanted humor, because I honestly don't know how I could even say that what I saw had even a hint of horror. Joel Fry was a lousy casting choice and it's clear that he's not an actor who can sustain a leading role.

There are many moments when he seems to be holding back the laughter, and if your own protagonist doesn't believe in what you're doing, it goes without saying how quickly the rest of your work collapses.

Massive disappointment.