SXSW 2018: Creative Minds Talk Horror Folklore for The Field Guide to Evil

Horror anthologies that try to do something different within the genre are a rare breed. While there are certainly some that stand out above the rest, it’s a short list indeed. That’s why The Field Guide to Evil may be something of serious interest to those who love getting horror in short bursts but still want a full cinematic experience. Adapting folklore tales from around the world with directors from their respective regions, The Field Guide to Evil weaves together 10 tales that delve into the world of myths and lore, sparking tales that speak universally across borders, across ethnicities, and across religions. These are the stories that made us fear the monster under our bed, the creature in our closet, the shadow in the dark, and every other entity that haunted our nightmares.

To tell us more about the film, we got the chance to speak with directors Calvin Reeder and Yannis Veslemes, as well as producer Anke Petersen, about The Field Guide to Evil. We discussed the importance of folklore when it comes to horror, the universality of these stories and why they affect us so deeply, and the role of women in these tales throughout the ages.

A feature-length anthology film. They are known as myths, lore, and folktales. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories laid the foundation for what we now know as the horror genre.

The Field Guide to Evil features stories and filmmakers hailing from Austria (Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala), Hungary (Peter Strickland), Germany (Katrin Gebbe), Greece (Yannis Veslemes), India (Ashim Ahluwalia), Poland (Agnieszka Smoczynska), Turkey (Can Evrenol), and the United States (Calvin Reeder).

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