Much like the coronavirus pandemic, the “disastrous virus” besieging the planet in Ben Wheatley’s horror movie In the Earth fills the film’s first trailer like a loud but constant static. Unfortunately, from what we can glean, stars Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires, and Reece Shearsmith have even bigger fish in the form of a rumored “spirit of the woods” and, worst of all, actual flesh-and-blood people setting up camp in the forest primeval.
Shot by the High-Rise director over the course of 15 days last August, the movie, which premiered at last month’s virtual Sundance Festival, follows scientist Martin (Fry) and park ranger Alma (Torchia) as they, per Neon’s description of the film on YouTube, “venture deep into the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them.”
And if that wasn’t bad enough, someone clearly runs out of the woods with an axe, scores of mushrooms release cloud after cloud of spores, and are those white paper cut-outs being placed on their eyes? You hate to see it. In the Earth hits the ground running with a theatrical run set to kick off April 23.
