All The Haunts Be Ours

by Kier-la Janisse

Curated by Kier-La Janisse, this beautifully-illustrated book designed by Luke Insect features new writing by Andy Paciorek, Stephen Volk, Mitch Horowitz, Dawn Keetley, Sarah Chavez, Stephen R. Bissette and Dejan Ognjanović alongside a selection of illuminating archival pieces and a breakdown of all the films in the Severin Films 'All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror Blu-ray Box Set'.

Genres: Horror

154 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2021

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

I wouldn't normally add a DVD booklet on here, but at 150+ pages this really is more of a book, in keeping with the frankly ridiculous Severin folk horror anthology it accompanies (and yes, I do regret not purchasing the even fancier and sillier edition). Only 20-odd of which pages are taken up with a literal directory of the capacious viewing options, the rest being more of a spiritual accompaniment, essays new (such as Steve Bissette on the legend of the Foolkiller) and otherwise (his fellow Steve, Vincent Benét, whose thoughts on the Salem witch trials have become no less relevant for their author dying a decade before The Crucible, never mind before the invention of the Blu-ray). Also verse, and fiction, including a piece translated from Icelandic which was the basis for one of the films. As with any anthology, I enjoyed some pieces more than others, but I think my favourite might have been one which benefits from appearing in such mixed company, and the uncertainty that enables. John DeWitt Niles writes a piece on the folk song Lamkin, and what might be missing from its various versions, where the more I read, the less I was sure whether there really was a folk song called Lamkin, or whether this, like Sarah Pinsker's Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather, was a horror story in the form of a discussion about a folk song. Certainly it chills like one.

[Rich Rosell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was included in the Severin Films folk horror Blu-ray box set of the same name. Inside are a number of essays discussing the history of the genre, and its roots in folklore from around the world.

A terrific supplement to one of the best film collections of recent memory.