Dundead: The Moor

Dir: Chris Cronin / UK / 2023 / 2h / 15 The debut feature by director Chris Cronin, The Moor leans into the haunting folk-horror potential of the Yorkshire moors. But don’t just take our word for it – the film wowed Frightfest audiences last year where it won the coveted ‘Best Scare’ award. Playing on audience’s expectations, The Moor cleverly combines folk-horror, occultism and the spectre of real-life violence into one compelling whole, and even a bit of Blair Witch Project style found-footage. Claire (Sophia La Porta) is an aspiring podcaster who teams up with Bill (David Edward-Robertson) the father of her disappeared childhood friend, to investigate the Yorkshire moors. Bill’s son’s body was never found, and Bill believes the seemingly endless moors hold the answer he is looking for. The film also features a supporting role for Bernard Hill (perhaps best known for playing Théoden in the Lord of the Rings films), who sadly passed away in May of this year. This is very much a slow-burn horror film where the bleak atmosphere and riveting mystery propel us deeper and deeper into the vast darkness of the moors.