Why Folk Horror Is Having a Renaissance
From The Witch to Midsommar, folk horror has returned with a vengeance. Here's why it resonates now more than ever.
Sarah Darkwood
March 3, 2026
Folk horror is having a moment. After decades as a niche subgenre beloved mainly by British horror aficionados, films like The Witch (2015), Midsommar (2019), and Lamb (2021) have brought folk horror to mainstream audiences.
But what exactly is folk horror? The term was coined to describe a cycle of British films from the late 1960s and early 1970s — specifically Witchfinder General (1968), The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), and The Wicker Man (1973). These films shared common themes: rural isolation, pagan belief systems, and the clash between modernity and ancient traditions.
The modern folk horror renaissance taps into contemporary anxieties. In an age of climate crisis, folk horror reminds us of our disconnect from the natural world. In an era of political polarization, it explores what happens when communities turn inward. And in a time when many feel unmoored from tradition, it examines the dark side of belonging.
Robert Eggers' The Witch uses historically accurate detail to create a portrait of Puritan paranoia that feels urgently relevant. Ari Aster's Midsommar transforms the breakup drama into cosmic horror set against pastoral beauty. These films succeed because they find the universal in the particular — the fear of being consumed by something larger than yourself.
Folk horror reminds us that the oldest fears are often the deepest, and that the most terrifying places are sometimes the most beautiful.