Coming out of the woods: 5 folk horror films for fall weekends

We have collected projects that prove: to experience real horror, you need to look into the book of ancient legends. Some of the films can be seen this week in Moscow at the V International Horror Film Festival “NST Horror Fest”.

Solstice (2019)

After the tragic death of her parents, a young girl, Dani, experiences deep psychological trauma. To support her, friend Christian suggests that they take a trip together to the Swedish municipality of Hårga, where he and his friends were invited by a classmate to participate in the summer solstice celebration. At first the idyllic village seems like a place of healing, but gradually the community’s traditions become increasingly disturbing and cruel. The guests realize that they are trapped in an ancient cult, where rituals require human sacrifice.

Yuyer (2025)

The debut of a young duo of Yakut directors – brothers Kirill and Yuri Yakhontov. According to organizers, the film will be the highlight of the V International Film Festival of Horror Films “NST Horror Fest” taking place in Moscow.

In a remote Yakut village in the early 2000s, two brothers, Ayan and Tuluur, are forced to meet after the death of their mother. Their common past is clouded by childhood jealousies and family secrets: Ayan, being an adopted son, always felt like a stranger, and the birth of his younger brother only aggravated this mental wound.

Returning to his home, Ayan relives old grievances and is confronted with mystical forces rooted in Yakut legends. In an atmosphere of overwhelming grief and guilt, the brothers must come face to face with the dark secrets that have determined their fate for years and that now require redemption.

Lamb (2021)

In the rugged Icelandic wilderness, a farming couple, Maria and Ingvar, find an unusual creature: a newborn human-lamb hybrid. They decide to accept him as their child and name him Ada, seeing him as a comfort after the loss of their own baby. However, their idyll is disturbed by the appearance of Ingvar’s brother Petur, who views Ada as a monster and tries to destroy the family’s fragile happiness.

His intervention exposes hidden conflicts and leads to tragic consequences as dark secrets and mutual grievances come to light.

Witch (2015)

In 1630, a Puritan family, driven from their community because of their pride, tries to start a new life on the edge of a dark forest. However, their efforts turn into a nightmare when their newborn son disappears without a trace into the woods. This event becomes the first link in a chain of inexplicable and frightening incidents: from diseases and livestock ownership to encounters with an unknown force lurking among the trees. Gradually, the family plunges into the abyss of fear and suspicion, where the ghosts of the past and the dark forces of the present begin to tear them apart from within.

Rabbit Trap (2025)

New this year, it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film opens the program of the NST Horror Fest film festival.

1973 Musicians Daphne and Darcy Davenport, trying to find inspiration to record a music album, leave London and retreat to a cabin in Wales. Their creative process is interrupted when they record a supernatural sound that does not belong to our world. This attracts a mysterious child whose influence begins to erode their perception of reality. Soon the couple finds themselves stuck on the edge of two worlds: their familiar lives and the ancient kingdom of nature spirits.