The Last Sacrifice is a must-see for folk horror fans

Writer/director Rupert Russell’s documentary The Last Sacrifice is a must-watch for folk horror fans. It uses the famous true crime case of Charles Walton, murdered brutally in 1945, to explore broader themes of witchcraft, hysteria, and paganism in the UK. The film also explores folk horror tropes, such as the outsider clashing with an insular village, while underscoring the influence of Walton’s case on folk horror staples, especially The Wicker Man. It’s an intriguing documentary that merges true crime with film studies.

In the beginning, the documentary lays out the facts regarding Walton. The 74-year-old farmer was killed on Valentine’s Day in 1945 at the Firs Farm on the slopes of Meon Hill, Lower Quinton in Warwickshire, England. The details surrounding the case are quite grisly, and the documentary doesn’t shy away from them. The murderer bludgeoned Walton over the head with his own stick, cut his neck open with a slash hook, and drove a pitchfork into his body. The brutality of the case drew the foremost police detective of that era, Robert Fabian, and also sparked theories about witchcraft and ritual.

If I have one gripe about the documentary, it’s that the horrid and unfortunate circumstances regarding Walton’s life and murder are a mere launching pad to address the roots of folk horror. While he’s the focus of about 20-30 minutes of the documentary, namely its beginning, his story is sidelined by the halfway point. It feels like it minimizes the case and Walton’s life.

The rest of the movie digs deep into the roots of folk horror, with references to staples like The Blood on Satan’s Claw, Witchfinder General, and as already stated The Wicker Man.  There are a few clips and nods to lesser-known films, too, as well as an exploration of the tropes and motifs associated with the subgenre, especially the concept of an outsider entering a village where old beliefs still rule and anyone from the outside is looked upon with great suspicion. The documentary features interviews with film historians and vintage newsreels from the era, specifically the 1960s and 1970s, when hysteria overtook the UK and people generally feared that their neighbor could be a witch. There are some clear parallels between that era and the Satanic Panic that gripped the U.S. in the 1980s. I especially enjoyed some of the grainy footage of people who claimed to be witches. There’s really a treasure trove of footage collected for this documentary.

While the film mostly focuses on the first wave of folk horror films from the 1960s and 1970s, there are some references and analysis of more contemporary films, specifically Ari Aster’s sophomore feature Midsommar and the way that he used and expanded upon existing tropes and motifs.

Overall, The Last Sacrifice is a riveting and fascinating documentary about how the true crime case of Charles Walton inspired an entire subgenre of horror, while sparking hysteria regarding witchcraft and ritualistic sacrifice. Through film clips, interviews, and vintage newsreels, The Last Sacrifice examines the roots of folk horror. Yet the documentary will likely appeal to anyone interested in sociology or even pop culture more broadly.

The Last Sacrifice will stream on Shudder beginning February 16.

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