Lore Icon Film Channel Release Review

4 star spooky tales by the firelight.

Lore is a 2024 British horror anthology film, co-written by Christine-Barber Ryder, with James Bushe (Cannibals and Carpet Fitters, Predator Dark Ages) and  Patrick Michael Ryder (Red Sky), who also direct, alongside Greig  Johnson.

Lore will be available exclusively in the UK on the Icon Film Channel from 26th August, in select UK Cinemas from 27th September and then on Digital Download from 21st October.

“Do you know where we’re sitting? 1993, a hiking party found three skulls about a hundred yards or so that way. An excavation took place, with local archaeologists. 3,500 dead bodies were found here.”

The framing story for this anthology features four friends who like to take holidays together every year. Thrill seekers, they like immersive experiences such as secret cinemas and escape rooms. This year they have booked a camping trip deep in the woods.

When they arrive they are greeted by the very creepy Darwin (Richard Brake – The Dare, 3 From Hell) who soon gets them settled in and around the campfire. Here he tells the history of their location and then reveals the purpose of their trip. Each of them is to take a totem, throw it into the fire and tell a story that they fear while it burns. This, he says, will feed the demons within.

First up is Mark (Dean Bone – Drunken Butterflies), who tells a tale he calls “Shadows“. Daniel (Andrew Lee Potts – Primeval, Never Have I Ever) is on the run from two heavies, the enormous Barry (Daniel-John Williams – Looted) and Terry (Steven Blades – Firecracker). He takes refuge in a factory, but it soon becomes apparent that they are not alone in there, something lurks in the shadows and it’s taking them out. But as security guard Jeff (Bill Fellows – The Reckoning) will soon find out, all is not as it seems.

Next is Dan, with the story of “The Hidden Woman“, which tells us of Hannah (Jennifer K. Preston – Charlotte) and her son Charlie (Theo Preston – The Zookeeper’s Wife), who get entirely more than they bargain for when they move into their inherited house and find an old phonograph.

Thirdly, it’s the turn of Donna (Sally Collett – Twist), who calls her story “Cross Your Heart”. This is a cautionary take about infidelity, with Steve (Rufus Hound – Kat and the Band) getting a nasty shock when he agrees to a swinging session with his wife Cath (Katie Sheridan – Give Them Wings) and the enthusiastic Luna (Alana Wallace – Fyre Rises, Lair) and her friends.

Lastly, we get to Sally (Samantha Neale – Interview With a Hitman), who tells us the story of “The Man with the Keychain”. Three friends, Natasha (Sarah Lewis Obuba – Vera (TV series)), Matt (Christopher Mulvin – Feed Me) and James (Jacob Anderton – Ripper Untold) pay a visit to the cinema for the midnight showing on just the wrong day, when giant employee Gareth (Finbar Healy – A New Brand of Criminal) finally gets pushed over the edge.

All these stories are very nice, but is it really a good idea to spin yarns over a burning death stick?

“There is a custom that we carry out on every tour. It’s a totem, it’a a way of feeding the evil. It allows us to communicate with the dead. Throw it into the flame and as it burns, tell a story.”

Lore is a very entertaining film. The framing story is excellent, a great idea although not entirely new, and well executed. The acting is also very good and everyone pulls their weight to get the best from the script, a stonking British cast.

When the gore happens it’s full on and unapologetic, with some very effective practical effects, especially in the final segment. While the twist is somewhat predictable, it does have a sense of satisfying inevitability, bringing everything together very nicely. All in all, good fun and well worth a watch.

“The dead do visit us. Ghosts, spirits, apparitions, whatever you decide to name them, they do exist. Their regrets, moments of fear and hate, frozen in time. Consumed by it.”

Lore will be available to stream exclusively on the IFC Channel from 26th August, in Select UK Cinemas from 27th September and then available on Home Entertainment from 21st October