"Frontier Folk Horror"
...and not bad at all, especially considering its low budget. Ben Bigelow's American period piece gets a Digital release from Miracle Media.
In the American West of the 1860s, pastor Ezekiel Thatcher (Andrew Hovelson) sets out with his family into the American wilderness, equipped with a wagon, two horses, and enough food to last until they hope to be able to find some.
Entering a forest they are confronted by a fork in the trail. They take the right hand branch but it soon comes to a halt. A strange sound causes Ezekiel's ears to bleed and leads to the revelation that he believes himself to be God's instrument. The sound also restores his blind son's sight, while Ezekiel abandons the welfare of the family to scribble 'sermons' of inspiration in his notebook. Is it God or is it nasty? It's nasty of course but exactly what is going on I'll leave for you to discover.
There's a lot to like about THINE EARS SHALL BLEED, not least of which is the professionalism of the endeavour. Despite the low budget there's very little wobbly hand-held shakicam, and whoever chose the locations has done an excellent job as, for a change, there's a real sense of isolation amidst the impressive sweeping vistas. The film takes its time about things but the emphasis here is on atmosphere and as such, THINE EARS SHALL BLEED does a pretty good job. It's reminiscent of horror Westerns like Earl E Smith's SHADOW OF CHIKARA and if you're a fan of this subgenre this is one to check out. Here's the trailer:
THINE EARS SHALL BLEED is out on Digital from Miracle Media on Monday 15th July 2024
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