The Presence of Snowgood is a layered film that blends elements of folk horror with a murder mystery. It’s a movie that draws viewers into its world, including the lore that it builds and takes its time unfolding and explaining. There’s even a dash of an old-fashioned Victorian ghost story here and a few solid jump scares.
The film opens in the 1700s as two kids dash through the woods, in an attempt to bury one of the three crowns of England along the Sussex shoreline. This was done as a means to protect England from invaders. It’s later revealed that the kids were part of the Hagar family, tasked with protecting the crown. By the late 20th Century, the last of the Hagars, William (Ian Kear), died. This all sounds like a lot of lore and backstory, and it is, but the film handles it well, sprinkling the details throughout the runtime as to never overwhelms viewers.
When the film shifts to the present, we’re introduced to private detective John Knightley (Tom Malt). He’s been hired by Dolores Blackman (Caroline Munro) to find her missing husband, a sometimes treasurer hunter who wanted to locate the buried crown. Police failed to locate her husband, hence the need for a private detective. Once John visits the town, he quickly learns that locals are hesitant to discuss the crown. It’s through the help of a local bartender, Lyn (Sarah Maur Ward), that John learns more about the legend and the town’s secrets.
Meanwhile, John may or may not be followed by the spirit of William Hagar, and he also meets a young woman/spirit, Alice (Holly Roberts), who advises him to quit the case and leave. Of course, John won’t do that. He’s then drawn into one mystery after the other, including a secret group/society who claims they exist to protect the crown, though it seems more likely they’d rather sell it and make a whole lot of money.
There’s a lot of narrative layers here, for sure, but the film takes its time to let everything play out and it also resolves all of its threads quite well. This is an immersive film regarding its story, but also its cinematography. The stunning shots of the natural land make the town and its surrounding area feel like a living and breathing character harboring secrets. It’s also reminiscent of folk horror films from the 1970s. Additionally, the score is another highlight, with some Celtic influence at certain moments and much darker shifts in tone during just the right sequences. This is a well-shot and well-scored film.
The Presence of Snowgood is a slow burn movie with ghosts, haunting landscapes, and a murder mystery at its center. This film takes its time building up its lore and developing a rich and engrossing world, a world that will consume viewers patient enough to let the mysteries play out.
