When I first saw the trailer for the Adams Family’s Mother of Flies horror film, I was quite intrigued. It was a foray into a witchy and woodsy dark fairytale that introduced a healer who lived in the woods. A father and daughter seek her magical knowledge in a final effort to cure the latter’s terminal diagnosis. As any fan of horror or classic fairytales knows, there’s typically a painful price to pay to receive these kinds of services. Mother of Flies promised an exploration of illness, death, and inexplicable power all wrapped up in an aesthetically pleasing body horror package, and it mostly delivers on that promise.
In the film, we meet Mickey (Zelda Adams), who has been grappling with illness for years. After chemo and radiation, she’s been given mere months to live. However, there’s a light at the end of her tunnel that literally came to her in a dream. That calling for healing comes from Solveig (Toby Poser), a mysterious woman who dons one of my favorite feminine aesthetics: clothing that drapes her frame in all black. She certainly joins my list of haunting women who embody that style choice well.
RELATED ARTICLEAll Hail the Haunting Woman Draped in a Black DressAgainst all logic, Mickey travels to seek healing from Solveig, bringing her rightfully skeptical yet supportive father Jake (John Adams) along for the ride. And what a ride it becomes as Mother of Flies unveils Solveig’s highly unconventional methods rooted in knowledge of the Earth and the healing aspects of nature. The present day story of Mickey is interspersed with flashbacks of Solveig’s life, unveiling a critical and tragic part of Solveig’s past that deeply informs the present. At times, it makes the story feel rather disjointed because of these abrupt shifts. It turns the “evil witch in the woods” trope on its head, infusing her character with equal parts mystery and complexity, adding richness to her arc. Still, despite the film only having three primary characters, I left it still feeling like I didn’t get quite enough character depth from Mickey and Jake. Outside of her deep thirst to survive and triumph over what invades her body and his deep distrust of Solveig, there is not much else to them. For those who are looking for a more linear and well-defined plot, you simply won’t find it here. Mother of Flies plays out like a hazy dream, cutting sharply between its vivid scenes and leaning deeply into its arresting scenery and sharp cinematography. The effects, both practical and visual, are incredibly well done on an indie budget. Coupled with paired down sounds expected in an isolated yet teeming with life environment, Mother of Flies is a feast for the eyes and ears. Shudder The film parses through many needed touchpoints that should be discussed when approaching the topic of terminal illness. Its body horror elements are representative of the real journey that one experiences with a disease like cancer. The stench of body fluids from vomiting, the dizzying nature of drugs, and the desire to cling to life and hope in the midst of darkness are all real. And as Poser herself confirms, this film is a highly personal venture for the Adams Family, which you can certainly feel. Yes, there’s plenty of blood, guts, and some seriously gory moments, but none of them play out in a conventional, mainstream horror fashion. For many viewers who seek that type of supernatural slashing thrill, Mother of Flies will not be very entertaining. It certainly has a more lo-fi spirit, moving at a slow, quiet pace throughout its run, which clocks in at a little over an hour and a half. There’s heady voiceover dialogue that requires deeper thought due to its philosophical nature. Quite a few moments will leave you scratching your head and pausing to parse for meaning. It’s an active experience to watch this film, which is certainly not a bad thing in a world where our collective attention spans are steadily waning. At times, the dialogue is frustratingly stilted (presumably by design) and uncomfortable to hear. It truly boils down to what you seek from a witchy horror narrative. Mother of Flies is a meditation on the terror of terminal diagnosis and the attempt to regain autonomy over the body and the magic of Earth and power of those who use the elements to incite healing. Catch it on Shudder on January 23.Mother of Flies ⭐ (3.5 of 5)
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