A Seed Talks Touring Lecture
The History of
Folk Horror
Paganism, sacrifice, and sexy nature. A tour through the films, folklore and fears that gave us The Wicker Man, Midsommar and Witchfinder General.
Get Tickets 🎟An evening in the old country
Rural communities. Skewed morality. A happening. Join us for a guided tour through the genre that worships the old gods.
The Wicker Man
Did Iron Age Britons really burn sacrifices in giant wicker figures? Spoiler: Julius Caesar had an agenda.
Midsommar & The Hårga
Norse runes, caged bears, and public grief. What folklore did Ari Aster actually borrow — and from whom?
Witches & the folk
From Pendle to The Witch, the queer history of witchcraft and why the craze still echoes today.
About the Talk
Folk horror is having a moment — and for good reason. As the world feels wilder and the ground less steady, we keep reaching back for the old stories.
From The Wicker Man, Blood on Satan's Claw and Witchfinder General to Midsommar, The Witch and Ben Wheatley's In the Earth, this touring lecture unpicks the genre film by film — and then digs underneath to the real folklore, the questionable history, and the politics hiding in the soil.
Expect pagan rituals invented by Victorians, bog bodies, bear cults from Hokkaido, the strange afterlife of James Frazer's The Golden Bough, and the queer history threaded through the witch-hunts. Expect dancing. Expect a lot of “sexy nature”.
Followed by a Q&A.
Upcoming Dates
Tap a date to book on Eventbrite
What to expect
Content notice: references to violence, sacrifice, cannibalism and sexual violence. Handled with care, but please look after yourself.
From our guests
“The speaker was very engaging and clearly incredibly knowledgeable on the topic, easily able to answer off the cuff questions and provide the right level of detail for a layman to follow. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future local talks by the same speaker.”
“Talk was fabulous. Really enjoyed the content. Presenter was excellent.”
“Absolutely amazing.”
Come and meet the old gods
Tickets are selling — grab yours before the fire goes out.
See Tour Dates 🎟