In the Earth

"In the Earth" is a movie that's tailored for those who enjoy midnight showings. The film is intense, eerie, grandiose, and oftentimes, profound. Although some segments may appear hurried, and the ending may leave something to be desired, each part is etched into your mind. The story is mainly set in a dreary forest that resembles a fairy tale, where science experts are terrorized by both human and supernatural forces. This low-budget thriller has the confidence and swagger of a big-budget production. Ben Wheatley, the writer and director, masterfully blends science fiction, horror, and supernatural elements, while paying homage to classic cinematic techniques, including Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Shining." However, the overarching inspiration for the film seems to come from the grimy, unsettling 1970s horror films that also serve as endurance tests, like "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," "The Last House on the Left," and "Halloween." The viewers leave the film feeling either exhilarated.

This is a film that defies easy categorization, blending elements of various genres to create a unique and unsettling experience. Its part wilderness survival drama, part slasher horror, and part body horror, with a healthy dose of pre-Christian mythology thrown in for good measure. The opening act has a distinctly art house feel, with an emphasis on philosophical musings about the fate of humanity and our role in creating our own demise. But the film never loses sight of its need to engage the audience, and so it delivers ultra-violence and gnomic mysticism to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Director Ben Wheatley clearly has a fascination with the fragility of the human body, and this is evident in the many closeups of torn, bleeding, and mangled body parts. The visuals are fixated on openings and orifices, and eye-like shapes, both in the woodland scenery and within the bodies themselves. It's as if Wheatley is trying to create a sense of interconnectedness between the natural world and the human body, blurring the lines between the two. While some parts of the film feel rushed and the ending is somewhat unsatisfying, every moment of it is memorable. Wheatley pays homage to classic cinema styles, such as Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Shining", while also evoking the gritty, icky horror of 1970s cult classics like "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre". The result is a film that is ominous, brutal, pretentious, and stirring, with a swagger that belies its low budget. Ultimately, it's a film that will leave viewers feeling both exhilarated and brutalized, depending on their tolerance for cinema of extremes or traumatized, depending on their tolerance for extreme cinema.

In "In the Earth," a low-budget thriller by writer/director Ben Wheatley, Dr. Martin Lowery (played by Joel Fry) is desperate for human interaction after being isolated during a pandemic. He ventures into the woods with park ranger Alma (Ellora Torchia) to find his colleague, Dr. Olivia Wendle (Hayley Squires), who has disappeared after turning off her radio. Olivia's research involves improving crop growth by exploring the idea that all plant life is interconnected through a psychic neural network and can communicate with each other and humans.

However, their mission goes awry almost immediately. Alma and Martin are attacked and knocked unconscious in the woods, with Martin suffering a gruesome foot injury that worsens as the story progresses. The majority of the film takes on a hostage situation, as Alma and Martin fall into the hands of a creepy loner named Zach (Reece Shearsmith), who torments them with the same level of brutality as Leather face's family or Jigsaw from the "Saw" movies.

When the story brings Olivia into the picture, following a long buildup, she proves to be just as unsettling as Zach. Squires' eerie delivery and facial expressions reveal that Olivia is just as unhinged in her own way. The film is primarily set in gloomy, fairy-tale woodlands and combines elements of science fiction, horror, and the supernatural. Wheatley pays homage to iconic cinematic styles and milestones, particularly those of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Shining." Nevertheless, the inspiration for the film seems to be grungy and unsettling 1970s horror movies that leave viewers feeling exhilarated or traumatized, depending on their tolerance for the extremes of cinema.

It presents a blend of modern science and ancient rituals, with a focus on the fertile soil in the forest. Viewers are warned from the beginning that the research conducted by Dr. Olivia Wendle involves the unique soil, hinting at the possibility of invasive fungus action. While the film does deliver on this promise, it does so in an unexpected way. One character in the film rephrases the famous saying that high technology is indistinguishable from magic to members of primitive civilizations. This sets the tone for the rest of the film as it mixes modern scientific theories with ancient rituals aimed at communicating with and appeasing an eldritch force known as Parnag Fegg. The exposition-heavy lore of the film is reminiscent of John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness," suggesting that science may eventually find a way to perfect the approximations of scripture, ritual, and spell-casting.

The ambiguity of the film's various elements works in its favor, as it creates a sense of unease and mystery that keeps the audience engaged. However, at times, it can feel like Wheatley is purposely withholding information to keep viewers off-balance. The film's use of jarring editing techniques and strobe effects adds to the disorienting atmosphere and amplifies the tension of the more intense scenes. There's plenty of screaming, crying, and gruesome violence, but Wheatley balances it out with a dark sense of humor that undercuts the horror just enough to make it bearable. In fact, some of the film's best moments come from Wheatley's playful misdirection and teasing of the audience, making us wait for the inevitable moment of horror while toying with our expectations.

Overall, "In the Earth" may not be the most coherent or thematically rich movie, but it excels as a visceral horror experience that makes audiences squirm with its close-up brutality and skillful use of nature's splendors. Director Ben Wheatley's style of setting up scenes and making the audience wait for the inevitable horrors to unfold, along with his mordant wit, keeps viewers engaged and on edge. The cinematography by Nick Gillespie and the synthesized score by Clint Mansell are also standout elements that contribute to the film's eerie and unsettling atmosphere. While the movie may not be for everyone, it is likely to appeal to horror fans and those who enjoy experimental cinema.