“Lore” Pleasantly Surprises

Lore (James Bushe/Patrick Michael Ryder/Greig Johnson, 2023) 3 out of 5 stars

Do you enjoy sitting around a campfire sharing scary stories? Most of us have likely partaken in this age-old camping tradition. The atmosphere of being in the middle of the woods at night lends itself to the occasion. But what if you would tell these tales of terror on cursed land, at the orders of a strange tour guide, in the middle of a horror-themed wilderness trip? Upping the ante, wouldn’t you say? Well, enter Lore, an anthology film directed by several different directors. The different segments featured within are bound together by the same housing of four friends sitting around a campfire. Like many anthologies, there is a connection between the housing and the short stories.

In the film, four friends book a spooky experience in the woods with a local tour guide. When they meet at the rendezvous point, they find their guide is an old, bizarre man named Darwin (Richard Brake, Vesper). Darwin takes them out further into the woods where they set up camp. That night, Darwin and the group sit around a campfire. Darwin informs everyone that some horrible events have taken place there, and that many believe there are evil spirits residing nearby. To appease them, he encourages everyone to tell the scariest story they’ve ever heard.

Some in the group are at first reluctant, but eventually they all share a story. The first story deals with a terrifying shadow figure, the second with a ghostly old woman, while the third features a sexual night of fantasy gone wrong, and the fourth brings it back to basics with a serial killer in a movie theatre.

An anthology film is only as good as its individual segments within, and Lore undoubtedly delivers on those. Many similar films have one or two shorts that are forgettable or don’t quite stack up to the others, but thankfully Lore surprisingly features four strong, intriguing stories. Of course, some are indeed better than others, but all are engaging and, overall, scary. The second and fourth stories are more typical horror, with the second being an effective but conventional paranormal encounter and the fourth being a gory but predictable slasher flick. While those stories do mostly work despite some subpar effects, the film really shines with its first and third stories, both terrifying and featuring twist endings that turn the rest of the narrative on its head.

I do feel as if the stories could be placed in a better order, however. Perhaps the filmmakers could start with the clichéd horror stories and then save the best for last with the unconventional ones. However, the order does make sense for plot accuracy, as the fourth story calls back to the previous three, and the order in which the characters tell the stories line up. I just think it would be better dramatically if the best stories were saved for last.

Still, each story proves effective, and some interesting discussions are had after them that provide intriguing insights. While the episodes themselves are all strong, I unfortunately feel like the housing could be better. Brake turns in a solid performance as Darwin, the creepy tour guide, but the other characters who tell the stories are forgettable and not very compelling. Also, so much time is taken with the short films that we aren’t really given much focus on the housing. If they are given more screentime, perhaps the folks sitting around the campfire could become enthralling characters. However, the most we know about any of them is that one writes for a living.

Overall, Lore satisfies with quality segments, effective scares, and some fascinating twists and turns. The conclusion has one final twist which is interesting but not explored quite enough. Outside of some shortcomings with the housing and a few instances of poor special effects, Lore succeeds more than it doesn’t, much to this critic’s surprise. Getting a viewer to invest in one plot is hard enough, but being able to keep their attention for four separate storylines is no small feat.

Matt Patti

Matt Patti has enjoyed voicing his opinions on films from a young age. He has lived in the Baltimore, Maryland, area since 2015 and is a graduate of Stevenson University’s Film & Moving Image program. Matt is currently back at Stevenson University, working as the School of Design, Arts, and Communication's Studio Manager.