Lore (2023) had a 3.1 star rating on Amazon Prime, so I wasn't expecting much going into it. Maybe it was because I was expecting it to be meh, but Lore turned out to be a surprisingly good horror movie.
As a short story author, you know I love anthologies - and this one scores big for me. The film starts out with four friends going on a "once in a lifetime" camping trip with a creepy ass guide who encourages them to each burn a totem while offering a story to the spirits of the supposedly haunted forest they're camped in. Reluctantly, they do.
The second, "The Hidden Woman," is about a woman and her young son who've inherited an old house full of memories - and the spirit of its previous owner.
Next, "Cross Your Heart" showcases an OMG-gurl-red-flag husband who bullies his wife into a swingers' party with deliciously satisfying consequences.
The final story, "The Key Chain Man," brings back all kinds of memories of my days in the cinema (and fulfilling more than a few fantasies every usher has had.)
After sharing their stories, the friends wake to find their guide gone - along with some valuables. Lore seems to end a little abruptly, so it's nice when the credits are interrupted by the next offering, revealing that all stories past, present, and future are irrevocably linked.
Sue, it's a little messy there at the end and lacks any real character development, but Lore is low-budget British horror at its best, blending scares, gore, and humour seamlessly in a way only the Brits can pull off. In addition to the surprisingly good SFX, Lore highlights the talent of four separate writers, each adding their own flavour to the anthology.
I highly recommend this one as a bit of creepy good fun.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5)
