Martin Lowery (Joel Fry) is a scientist who plans to head into the forest to investigate the incredibly fertile soil there. With him as a guide is park ranger Alma (Ellora Torchia). One night whilst sleeping they are attacked and their supplies destroyed. In the morning they stumble upon Zach (Reece Shearsmith) who appears to be living in the forest. 

In The Earth is writer/director Ben Wheatley’s pandemic movie by way of hallucinogenic horror. Its themes seem to be very much focused on the perils of modern times, science versus unsubstantiated superstition. It is also genuinely brilliant and possibly my favourite Wheatley film, a director whom I have struggled to enjoy with a few exceptions. 

The world has been ravaged by a pandemic. When we meet Martin he has to go through a number of health check protocols to enter the lodge acting as a base camp for the scientific survey. We hear of the isolation people have faced as they try to survive the deadly disease. Whilst this is not COVID-19 it immediately will resonate with everyone watching. We then hear about the folktale of Parnag Fegg, the Spirit of the Forest. Alma explains how it was used as a cautionary tale to prevent children becoming lost, but the pagan imagery and the stories of lost people plant the seeds of worry that something more could be happening in the forest. When we meet Zach we discover that he very much believes in the folktale and wants to communicate with Parnag Fegg. Later we will meet the lead scientist in the forest, a woman Martin may have had a relationship with previously. Olivia Wendle (Hayley Squires) believes there may be a way to talk to Parnag Fegg by scientific means. 

The entire film consists of the interactions between four people in the forest. As such their performances are integral to the success of the film and they all absolutely excel at landing the tone of the film. Fry, Torchia, Squires and Shearsmith all at various points give scene stealing performances. 

My only reservation though would be its use of flashing lights that appear in the second half of the film. Firstly it absolutely generates the befuddlement it is supposed to but boy did it give me a thumping headache by the end of the film. 

An unnerving film that expertly taps into the horrors of our current times.