Starve Acre

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Starve Acre

Released Jul 26

1h 38m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

68 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

When their son starts acting strangely, a couple unwittingly allow dark and sinister forces into their home, awakening a long-dormant ancient evil rooted deep in the countryside.

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Critics Consensus

Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark are terrific as embattled parents in Starve Acre, an upsetting folk horror tale that locates the doom in domesticity.

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David Hughes

Time Out

Although Kokotajlo doesn’t feel entirely at home in the horror genre, he is clearly a talent to be reckoned with. Perhaps he’s at his best when working -- as he did with Apostasy -- with more personal material.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 11, 2024

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Some pleasingly icky special effects add to the general sense of mouldering menace. Where the picture stumbles, however, is in its almost total lack of effective scares.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 10, 2024

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Mark Kermode

Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)

Definitively worth checking out.

Sep 9, 2024

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Lee Zumpe

Tampa Bay Newspapers

“Starve Acre” is exquisitely atmospheric, offering a fever-dream rendering of the power of anguish to fracture us and to dissolve our connection to reality.

Oct 28, 2024

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Katherine McLaughlin

SciFiNow

There’s lots to admire in the crafting of this modern British folk horror and fans of the genre may adore the many references but there’s something amiss in the emotional stakes.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 7, 2024

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Andrew Wyatt

The Take-Up

If you happen to be on the film's slow, moody, cryptic folk-horror vibe, Starve Acre is a delectable, rotting feast.

Oct 1, 2024

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Fabienne Y

I can’t believe I paid a tenner to watched this. It shocks me how films like this get made. Was so up for a great British horror with Matt smith, thought it was going to be ‘calibre’ vibes. It’s soooooo bad genuinely don’t watch it. Makes no sense and it’s sooo boring.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/15/24

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Audience Member

Maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention but I really didn’t get it.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/15/24

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Tom L

Slow burn that created gradually creeping dread, with hints of dark rites and ancient pagan evil. Excellent acting and atmosphere, but the abstract and vague story made for an unsatisfying ending. Nonetheless I enjoyed this film overall.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

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Dan R

If upsetting folk horror is your thing then 2024's 'Starve Acre' will be right up your street. SYNOPSIS: 'An idyllic rural family life of a couple is thrown into turmoil when their son starts acting out of character.' This film is brilliantly carried by its leads Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark. And based on their history within the genre then you wouldn't expect any less. This is very much the thinking person's horror film as there are metaphors aplenty and the line between pagan folklore and psychodrama is very much blurred. The film is awash in recognisable tropes of the subgenre, and maybe it wallows in the themes of grief and loss a bit too much for this to be an enjoyable experience. It's very much a hard slog in places. 'Starve Acre' is a beautifully dreary, miserable thing that soaks into the bones with its oppressive atmosphere. Tough love at its best. 8/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

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Nat B

This was probably one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. It was all over the place and terrible. Disappointed I wasted my time watching this.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

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Sarfaraz A

Daniel Kokotajlo directed this British film, which was based on Andrew Michael Hurley's novel of the same title. The film stars Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark, and Erin Richards. The story follows a couple who live in the countryside for fresh air with their young son, who suffers from asthma and dies one day as a result of an asthma attack. The pair then performs a ritual to unleash the dark forces. The film has no horror scenes, and we are not supposed to be scared of an old rabbit skeleton that comes to life or the discovery of ancient tree roots. The movie may entice the viewers with its moderate filmmaking but it has nothing to entertain the audience with its lame content.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

Full Review

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Daniel Kokotajlo

Director

Matt Smith

Richard

Morfydd Clark

Juliette

Erin Richards

Harrie

Robert Emms

Steven

Matilda Firth

Younger Burnsall Sister

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Starve Acre: Exclusive Movie Clip - Nervous Creatures

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Starve Acre: Movie Clip - The Price We Pay

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Starve Acre: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When their son starts acting strangely, a couple unwittingly allow dark and sinister forces into their home, awakening a long-dormant ancient evil rooted deep in the countryside.

Director: Daniel Kokotajlo
Producer: Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Derrin Schlesinger, Emma Duffy
Screenwriter: Daniel Kokotajlo
Distributor: Brainstorm Media
Production Co: British Film Institute (BFI), House Productions, BBC Film, Access Entertainment
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 26, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 26, 2024
Runtime: 1h 38m

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