By: Andrew Wing

In the Earth (stylized as IN THE EⱯRTH) is a 2021 horror film written and directed by Ben Wheatley (also directed Free Fire and the 2020 adaptation of Rebecca). A British-American co-production, the film stars Joel Fry (Paddington 2, Cruella), Reece Shearsmith (Spaced, The World’s End), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake, In Fabric), Ellora Torchia, John Hollingworth and Mark Monero (EastEnders).

The film takes place as a deadly virus ravages the world and follows Dr. Martin Lowery (Fry) as he embarks on a mission to reach test site ATU327A, a research hub deep in the Arboreal Forest. This arduous journey, which is guided by park scout Alma (Torchia), is set back by a nighttime attack that leaves the two bruised and shoeless. But when they run into Zach (Shearsmith), a man living off the grid, they gratefully accept his help. However, Zach’s intentions aren’t exactly what they seem, and a path out of the forest and into safety quickly fades as the line between myth and science blurs.

In the Earth had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2021, and was released in the United States on April 16, 2021, by Neon.

THE GOOD

In the Earth has been on my watchlist for far too long. I watched all ten of the Best Picture nominees and got those reviews out of the way, so I finally was able to check out this movie that I’ve heard tons of good things about since premiering at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. Aside from all the mostly positive reviews, I knew I needed to check this out because it was distributed by Neon, an American independent film production and distribution company. I absolutely love Neon and all their films, and they are almost reaching that A24 level status with their films. I mean just last year they came out with Pig (see my full review here), Titane (see my full review here), Spencer (see my full review here), and Flee (see my full review here) just to name a few. So without wasting any more time, let’s see if In the Earth is a worthy entry into Neon’s stacked catalog. Keep reading to find out!

The film is directed by Ben Wheatley and this is only the second film of his that I’ve seen. A lot of critics have said this is a return to form for him so I, unfortunately, can’t really say too much about that, but I will say I was impressed with what we got here. His direction was great as he made sure to convey how unique of a filmmaker he is with his decisions, but the story we got with his original screenplay is pretty awesome. The story feels oddly similar to our real lives the past two years with COVID-19 as a deadly virus ravages the world and a doctor is sent on a mission to reach a test site. It starts out as this pretty basic mission, but it becomes something much stranger. I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot because it’ll definitely be better for you not to know a lot going into it. I will say though to just be prepared for the movie to take you to some weird places because it is a truly wild journey you embark on.

The acting in horror films can be all over the place sometimes, but there are some solid performances in In the Earth. I like Joel Fry a lot in the lead role here, and it was cool to see him in a more dramatic role after only seeing him in a comedic role in Disney’s Cruella (see Ted’s full review here) where he and Paul Walter Hauser had great comedic chemistry. His character definitely gets physically destroyed in the film and I didn’t think for a second that what was going on was over the top or not believable, and that’s a testament to Fry. Hayley Squires and Ellora Torchia were good as well, but the standout for me was Reece Shearsmith, as he plays the psychopathic villain Zach in the movie. The guy is just meant to play these kinds of characters and I was shocked at how great he was. I hope this doesn’t spoil too much but there is one scene involving amputation and it will just have you clenching your fists and grinding your teeth with how nerve-wracking the moment is thanks in large part to Shearsmith’s intensity he brought to the scene. I honestly just can’t wait to see what he does next.

The directing, writing and acting are all good, but I think this movie’s strength is its technical elements. First, it is extremely well-edited, and it flew by for me. Continuing with the technical elements here, the cinematography is done by Nick Gillespie and it was top-notch. There are some pretty trippy sequences too with the lights and I thought they were super well shot by him. Also, the sound design for this film was fantastic. It is super cool and it blends with Clint Mansell’s score really well. Maybe it is just me, but I think it is so nice when a film merges the sound design into the actual score because it gives it another layer. All in all, on the tech side of things, In the Earth checks every box.

THE BAD

I liked this film overall and it is interesting once it gets going, but I will say In the Earth is pretty slow to start. I don’t know why they went that route with a film like this because the film itself is just this absolute WTF movie. There are some very weird things that happen and I guess the biggest thing that’s bothering me with this film is that I guess I just missed the point of what this film was trying to do. Maybe that’s because they were going for more of a surface experience with some cool underlying elements that make it unique, but it definitely came across more like a thriller to me rather than a horror. Don’t get me wrong, as a thriller it’s good, but as the horror film it tried to be, I’m not over the moon on really that much about it.

Next, and I can’t take full credit for this thought, but I have seen people saying this is a ripoff of Annihilation, the 2018 sci-fi psychological horror film written and directed by Alex Garland, and I won’t lie, it is pretty similar. I just got a lot of Annihilation vibes with this mainly because it takes place in the forest and deals with the brutality of nature. But at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s a rip-off as it definitely goes further and further down the wormhole of weirdness but that is truthfully why I didn’t like this movie nearly as much as I did Annihilation. I don’t know, In the Earth was trying to go for this message for how we deal with nature and everything, but it just didn’t land strongly with that from my eyes.

Lastly, and this is more of a warning rather than a critique, not only should you be prepared for the weirdness, but also be prepared for some gore. I already mentioned an amputation scene so you catch my drift, but aside from that, there is not much scary about this one at all. Also, be warned, the film contains intense sequences that may trigger those susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.

THE VERDICT

While I see it more as a thriller than the horror movie it tried to be, In the Earth is still a solid film with a fascinating concept from director Ben Wheatley. It’s a very good-looking, well-done movie with above-average performances from the main cast, and it’s worth checking out if you are in the mood for a horror-ish movie with some unnerving moments.

Maybe it was the weirdness of the film, but I just don’t know if it really drilled down into anything that gets my blood going like some of the better A24 horror films of the past couple of years. It also took a little while to get going and it might be a little too similar to Annihilation for my liking.