Starve Acre

Having just read the book¹ I figured I should also check out the film. It’s the same premise, a grieving couple (Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark) face some weird shit in the English countryside.

I was looking forward to this because the book had a certain filmic quality to it and sure enough, this is a pretty decent adaptation. There are a few changes from the book, some well thought out and others probably surplus to requirements.

Clark and Smith are a fine leading couple and convey their repressed sense of loss and pain with restraint.

You can tell they went on location to make the film and you can tell that they were fighting the elements quite a bit. It seems almost appropriate that this eerie folk horror tale should not be all that easy to make.

Perhaps the pace is a bit too languid, and perhaps Starve Acre isn’t bringing anything new to the table. Nevertheless I liked it for what it is: a bit of mid-budget British horror backed by talented actors.