Mandrake (2022) Unbalanced yet promising Irish Folk Horror (Glasgow Fright Fest Review)

Horror is a genre with many conventions, and adherence or non-adherence to these conventions are what can make or break a horror film. Slow and suggestive can be more effective than fast and furious; commitment to a straightforward premise may work better than a set of convoluted and unnecessary elements. Following these conventions can aid the horror experience, and can sometimes hinder it. When it comes to folk horror, atmosphere and a steady increase of dread tend to be most convincing, especially as the narrative progresses deeper into the sinister environment and the sense of entrapment becomes ever more pervasive.

Lynne Davison’s debut feature Mandrake creates a suitably clammy atmosphere in its early stages, as probation officer Cathy Madden (Deirdre Mullins) takes on a new client, Mary Laidlaw (Derbhle Crotty). Mary, paroled after serving a two-decade sentence, has been dubbed with the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ and has been a pariah in the local community since her original crime. Cathy’s professionalism allows her to keep her distance from Mary’s reputation and to treat her respectfully, even while she deals with a more troublesome client. However, the tales of Mary’s history, as well as the attitudes of the local people who have not forgotten this history, test the resolve of both Cathy and her ex-husband, police sergeant Jason Reid (Paul Kennedy).

Mandrake effectively uses the tropes of folk horror, such as urbanised people moving out of their comfort zones as Cathy comes to Mary’s dilapidated though expansive house outside the unnamed Irish city. This remove echoes similar films such as A Dark Song, Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, A Field In England and In The Earth, as well as the unholy folk horror trilogy of The Wicker Man, The Blood on Satan’s Claw and Witchfinder General. Mandrake also belongs to a recent cycle of Irish horror, including The Hole in the Ground and other offerings that premiered at Glasgow FrightFest 2022, You Are Not My Mother and The Cellar. Like these films, Mandrake displays a strong attachment to the earth, nature and plants, with key scenes taking place in seriously squishy mud. Such moments contrast with the modern technology Cathy as well as Jason utilise, including their cars and mobile phones, and most prominently as the ankle bracelet fitted to Mary. The bracelet is an overt attempt of modern technology to contain what Mary represents, and the contrast demonstrates the unfamiliar territory that Cathy steadily moves into. As you might expect, this territory rapidly becomes more threatening when two children go missing and suspicion falls on Mary.

Concern for the children seems warranted, as Mandrake is highly vindictive towards the body. The opening scene involves an altercation that ends with mace, and multiple characters suffer from ailments. Vicious injuries are inflicted by sharp metal in a fairly wince-inducing fashion, and the titular root provides its own form of body horror, contributing to further penetrations of the skin. However, this is where the film starts to lose coherence, as in its second half multiple elements start to crowd into the frame. Although these aspects could be interesting, none of them receives sufficient attention to be convincing. As noted, focused horror is often the most unsettling, because pushing a central idea further and further can ratchet up the tension and increase the fear. Too many elements and we lose focus and, crucially, are less scary. The collection of different aspects in Mandrake lead to it feeling unbalanced and some of the later developments do not earn their surprise status.

These scripting problems by writer Matt Harvey aside, Mandrake does demonstrate Davison’s skill as a director. The film does create a strong sense of place and offers some atmospheric moments, while the director of photography, Conor Rotherham, lenses the proceedings with a stark and dour colour palette. A final sequence of flames in the night is striking and might have made for a satisfying conclusion to a more balanced film. Nonetheless, there is more than enough promise here to suggest that Davison may well be a filmmaker to watch out for in the future.

VINCENT’S ARCHIVE – MANDRAKE (2022)