[FrightFest 2026]: Wrath of the Gods
The final film from Justin Hardy, who sadly died before the film could be premiered, Wrath of the Gods arrives with an immense amount of weight on its shoulders. There is a great deal of context that could be applied to this folk horror, so much that it threatens to overwhelm the affair. But whilst it doesn’t quite survive unscathed, the film emerges as a fascinating piece of modern folk horror.
The film follows Anna who returns to the island of Hel, bringing with her a troubled past that feeds a grief within her. Added to this is a distrusting community, ravaged by the disappearance of young girls, and a location steeped in a dark history.
Christiane Schaldemose makes a compelling lead as Anna, with strong support from the likes of Francis Magee, Lynsey Rendell and Martha Robertson. The script suffers early on with horror cliches that undermine the themes explored, but these soon fall away as the narrative pulls more into view, focusing on the disappearances that increasingly haunt proceedings. All the way to an admirably bold finale.
And then we come to The Wicker Man (1973) of it all. Justin Hardy’s previous work, Children of the Wicker Man (2024), explored him and his brother’s complicated relationship with their father Robin Hardy, the director of the film that hangs over all of this. Wrath of the Gods is partly conceived as the final part of the Wicker trilogy. But it is such a tonal shift from The Wicker Man that it feels more rewarding to view it as a companion piece to Justin’s documentary. It almost feels like Justin, who co-writes with his brother, Dominic, is concluding a response to his father’s work.
This dark, grounded tale of lost children and broken communities feels so detached from The Wicker Man that it is hard to view it as a prism to that. If you remove it from the hereditary links, you are left with a fascinating drama and the ideal swansong for a director taken too soon.
3.5 Screams out of 5
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