Film
Thale
A Norwegian horror film that grounds Nordic folklore in visceral, uncomfortable reality. Two cleaners discover a mysterious girl in a basement and must confront what she actually is—a creature from myth made flesh. Intimate, unsettling, and surprisingly tender, it's a film that treats its premise with complete seriousness and rewards that commitment with genuine dread and strange beauty.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy folklore turned into a lean, claustrophobic creature story, where the monster is a question before it is a threat, and the Norwegian woods do most of the unsettling.
Skip it if you want a monster with a clear rulebook or lots of spectacle; this compact piece stays close to two men fumbling to work out what they face.
What it asks of you: Under eighty minutes, it moves in a steady, unhurried crawl, with long stretches of quiet dread broken by sudden jolts and bursts of panic.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Let the Right One In2008
A Swedish vampire film that similarly treats folklore with mythic weight and emotional depth. It's atmospheric, tender, and genuinely frightening—proof that restraint and character matter more than spectacle in horror.
But Deliberately paced in a way that will feel slow if you're after jump scares. The sadness outweighs the scares, which isn't for everyone.
The Wailing2016
A South Korean horror film that builds dread through accumulated doubt and folk mythology. Complex, layered, and morally ambiguous in ways that stay with you long after. Operates on the same wavelength as Thale—myth bleeding into modern life.
But Nearly three hours long and deliberately obscure about what's actually happening. Frustrating if you need clear answers, rewarding if you embrace the mystery.
The Babadook2014
Australian horror that uses folklore and psychological terror as equally valid threats. It's precise, deeply felt, and understands that what we don't see is scarier than what we do. A masterclass in intimate dread.
But Relies on atmosphere over incident. If you need constant plot movement, this will feel thin. Also genuinely distressing about grief and motherhood.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Thale
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Orphanage2007
Both films treat folklore and the supernatural not as external threats but as intimately connected to place and history. Both unfold in confined spaces where what's wrong is already there, waiting.
Spanish ghost story that builds from domestic sadness into something genuinely mythic and terrible. Like Thale, it's grounded in a real place and real emotions—a woman returns to the orphanage of her childhood and uncovers what's actually there.
But The twist, while earned, can feel melodramatic on first viewing. A second watch reveals it was planted carefully, but initially it might feel manipulative. Also subtitled.
More like this (8)
Hereditary2018
Folk horror on a grand scale—a family unravels as they discover something ancient is already woven into their bloodline. Stunning craft and a willingness to let the supernatural be genuinely evil, not misunderstood.
But Extremely dark and contains real visceral shocks. Also demands patience through slower sequences of dread. Not cathartic; it ends badly and means it.
The Ritual2017
British horror set in a Swedish forest where ancient things still have teeth. Combines folk mythology with creature design that feels earned rather than cheap. Character-driven survival horror with real stakes.
But The found-footage-adjacent opening is the weakest section. The forest creature, while practical and impressive, follows horror conventions once it arrives. Uneven pacing in the middle.
Noroi: The Curse2005
A Japanese found-footage horror film that traces a curse through folklore and documentation. Genuinely unsettling in its methodology and committed to its own mythology. Builds something that feels genuinely ancient.
But Found footage format throughout—no conventional cinematography. Slow build-up that pays off late. Subtitles, and the pacing will test patience before anything major happens.
Under the Skin2014
Alien as folklore—Scarlett Johansson as an otherworldly being moving through Scotland, beautiful and incomprehensible. Deeply strange and committed to treating the inhuman as genuinely alien rather than human in a suit.
But Experimental and non-narrative. Long stretches of ambient atmosphere with minimal dialogue. The final twenty minutes are brutal. Not a plot-driven film by any measure.
A Dark Song2016
Irish folk horror about grief and the supernatural. A woman hires an occultist for a ritual, and what unfolds is strange, tender, and genuinely eerie. Treats magic and mythology as real and emotionally consequential.
But Deeply slow and methodical. Handheld camera work can feel amateurish. The occult elements might frustrate viewers wanting concrete explanations rather than faith.
Troll Hunter2010
Norwegian found-footage film about a man hunting trolls in the mountains. It's inventive, funny, and committed to the absurdity of its premise while treating trolls as real environmental hazards. Nordic folklore made physical.
But The found-footage conceit wears thin, and the CGI trolls, while creative, look dated now. Tonal shifts between comedy and horror don't always land. More fun than frightening.
The Saragossa Manuscript1966
Both films trust that folklore is stranger and more layered than straightforward narrative. Both refuse to explain away their mythology or resolve it neatly. Both feel like you're witnessing something that predates cinema.
Polish surrealist epic from the 1960s that spirals through mythology, dream logic, and folk tales. Visually hypnotic and genuinely strange in ways that feel closer to actual folklore—contradictory, ornate, refusing easy interpretation.
But Three hours long and deliberately non-linear. Restoration print, not newly made—it looks like it swam up from another era. The narrative loops back on itself intentionally. Not a plot-driven experience.
Possession1981
Like Thale, it's interested in what it means to encounter something truly other and be changed by it. Both films treat the monstrous with seriousness and refuse to make it sympathetic. Both are willing to be ugly and stay ugly.
Andrzej Żuławski's apocalyptic, visceral masterpiece about a marriage dissolving into the supernatural. It's grotesque and beautiful and genuinely disturbing—treating the inhuman as intimate and the intimate as monstrous. Raw in a way few films dare.
But Extremely graphic violence and disturbing imagery. The practical creature effects are confrontational. Difficult sound design. Actively hostile to comfort—this isn't a film that wants you to feel good after it ends.
People
Cast
Silje ReinamoThale- Erlend NervoldElvis
- Sunniva LienYoung Thale
- Morten AndresenHvittkledd
Directing
- Aleksander NordaasDirector
Writing
- Aleksander NordaasWriter
Production
- Bendik Heggen StrønstadProducer