Lore

If you speak to the filmgoing public, you’ll find a lot of enthusiasm for watching short films, yet despite the fact that hundreds are made every year, very few people know where to find them. One of the few big screen solutions is the anthology film, and these are nowhere more successful than amongst horror fans. Made in the UK and grounded by lively dialogue and regional accents, Lore is an above average venture of this kind, its high production values making up for the weaknesses in some of the stories.

The meta-story keeps it simple, all the way to an ending so neatly crafted that some viewers might miss its twist altogether. It follows four friends who go on a spooky camping trip together, out in the woods with a much older, delightfully creepy guide (Richard Brake) whom they have hired to entertain them. “There was an evil here,” he tells them. “It walked these grounds, festered. Screaming to the stars, it could never rest.” There is more of the same, and perhaps he’s serious, but perhaps he’s just covering for an otherwise lazy approach, whereby he gets them to sit around a campfire, burn wooden totems, and tell scary stories of their own.

The first of these, we are told, is about shadows. It relies on metaphor to cover up for an otherwise simple plot and effects, but the acting is competent, there’s a well written older supporting character who effectively shifts the tone, and it should hold your attention. The second takes us to a haunted house, inherited by a mother and son from an old woman whose spirit lingers. It’s full of Gothic trappings (with a nice line in yellow wallpaper) and features some impressive use of dance to create a proper sense of discomfort, even though it does pretty much everything by the book.

The third part is the most overtly comedic, and also has fun with bdsm trappings, as a man who really doesn’t seem to be in his partner’s league to begin with learns that pressuring her into an open relationship might not work out the way he wants. Then it’s on to part four, in which a bullied multiplex fast food server, who just happens to be seven feet tall and have a spare mask lying around, is pushed too far, resulting in a bloody rampage played out as a deadpan comedy.

Throughout, the performances are solid, the lighting and sound work good, and the writer/director teams well synchronised, making the whole thing flow smoothly despite the changes in style. There’s nothing here that will blow you away but it’s a good advert for the skills of all concerned, and it will make for a fun night out – especially if you go with friends as a precursor to sharing a few stories of your own.