About this episode

The episode discusses the 1971 folk horror film The Blood On Satan's Claw, exploring its themes and significance within the genre.

FolknHell dig up The Blood On Satan’s Claw , Piers Haggard’s 1971 folk horror classic, originally released as Satan’s Skin, and ask, " Is it one of the true pillars of the genre, or just a disjointed rural nightmare with excellent eyebrows?" This episode, Andy Davidson, Dave Houghton and David Hall head into the furrows for The Blood On Satan’s Claw , Piers Haggard’s 1971 tale of rural panic, possessed children, suspiciously hairy patches and authority figures making one terrible decision after another. Often named as part of folk horror’s so-called Unholy Trinity alongside The Wicker Man and Witchfinder General , this is a film with impeccable credentials: an isolated village, something nasty unearthed from the land, old evil pushing up through the soil, and a community that reacts to crisis with all the calm restraint of a mob holding rope. The chaps discuss the film’s odd portmanteau origins, its brilliant but bumpy structure, Angel Blake’s alarming rise as the leader of the village children, the deeply uncomfortable mix of sex, violence and moral panic, and whether this is actually the most openly supernatural member of the Unholy Trinity. There is also time for Anthony…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andrew Davidson, Dave Houghton, David Hall

Topics covered

• folk horror
• film analysis
• genre discussion
• rural panic
• supernatural elements

Keywords

• The Blood On Satan's Claw
• Piers Haggard
• folk horror
• film review
• supernatural

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Blood On Satan's Claw, The Wicker Man, Witchfinder General

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