Chattanooga Film Festival 2023 – When I think of folk horror, I don’t exactly think comedy. However, Stag, written and directed by Alexandra Spieth, has plenty of folk horror elements and a lot of laughs. It’s an interesting combination, and somehow, it works. It’s a feature that uses familiar motifs and themes of the subgenre, while cutting its own path, using humor to do so.

The feature stars Mary Glen Fredrick as Jenny. Over the phone, she’s invited to the bachelorette party of her high school friend, Mandy (Elizabeth Ramos), who makes it clear she goes by Amanda now. Much has changed since the two last spoke. Mandy has a new circle of friends, and the former besties haven’t spoken in years. Viewers come to learn there’s a good reason Mandy harbors resentment towards Jenny. Needless to say, it’s quite awkward when Jenny shows up to the party, held on a massive estate owned by the family of sisters Willa (Liana Hunt) and Casey (Stephanie Hogan). Other attendees include Leslie (Safiya Harris), Constance (Katie Wieland), and one-eyed groundskeeper Devon (Daniel Boyd).  He’s especially all kinds of odd.

This film works so well, in part, because of the performances. Frederick is simply great as the lead, displaying all kinds of nervous energy around a group of people she doesn’t know. She’s an urban loner, so a party filled with pink balloons and games is the last thing she wants to attend. Hunt is another highlight, starring as an over-the-top bridesmaid who has everything planned and freaks out when anything veers slightly off schedule. A scene involving penis-shaped balloons is a real hoot. Jenny suspects Willa has sinister motives, and the dynamic between the two worsens, escalating the film’s tension. Jenny especially can’t stand Willa’s bubbly and superficial personality, but thinks there’s something much darker going on.

As funny as this film is, especially some of Frederick’s foot-in-mouth lines, there are plenty of chilling moments. One of the friends wanders into the woods and never returns, for instance. The folk horror motifs come in the final act. There’s even the white dresses and crowns made out of flowers. There’s also the fact Jenny is a big city girl, out of place in the boonies. This is another recurrent folk horror element, city v. country. Yet, even when the film finally spills some blood, it does so with gusto and a few comedic beats. It’s an interesting combination, warranting some comparison to Midsommar, which, for as heavy as the beginning and ending of that film are, also has a little levity. Yet, Spieth drives the jokes home even more, and most of them land.

Stag is a deeply unique American folk horror film, the right blend of horror and comedy. It’s also a touching film about friendship. But for all the light-hearted moments, there are plenty of scares here. Something ominous indeed lurks in the woods. Speith plays with folk horror elements we’ve come to recognize, but she walks her own path as a director, putting a unique spin on a subgenre that’s hot right now. Stag is fresh, funny, and scary.

7 Out of 10