A man trapped in a desert canyon with a mysterious woman is held captive by feral children…
The Seeding is something strange indeed. The film, which is the first feature film from multiple-award winning music video filmmaker Barnaby Clay, stars Kate Lyn Sheil (She Dies Tomorrow, You’re Next) and Scott Haze (Jurassic World Dominion, What Josiah Saw), and a small cast of creepy kids. Set in the Utah wilderness, a hiker (Haze) is fooled into falling into what can only be described as a circular canyon or crater with seemingly no way out.
While the initial vibe of the film is most definitely The Hills Have Eyes (1977, 2006), I would be amiss not to point out that The Seeding has strong parallels with the semi-recent cult classic, Midsomer (2019). In fairness, The Seeding falls somewhere in the no-man’s-land between the two titles, however absurd as that may sound currently pinballing around your brain.
To clarify, while we may have the backwater, hillbilly energy of The Hills Have Eyes, the narrative follows something more akin to the latter film. Has the victim been brought in with the intention of becoming a midnight meat hack-n-snack? Or is there something more sinister at work? We are also treated to some cultish, dark lore that makes The Seeding far more cerebral than it initially lets on.
Sheil and Clay have great chemistry and bring extreme tension—both violent and sexual—which is very visceral. Both act out their roles incredibly well and leave you wondering throughout the film’s ample runtime, “What would I do were I in this situation?”
The monotonous scenery coupled with the haunting, ingenious score and every-encroaching dread make the movie something of a slow burn, but never a dull or slow watch. It’s a fascinating lens into an imaginary but all too plausible cult-esque culture that makes for a phenomenal film. That is, if you don’t ask too many questions—there are a couple of stand-out plot holes but the movie is far more enjoyable if you simply choose to ignore them.
Clay, in commentary on the film, had this to say:
TheSeeding deals with big themes, but in a small, contained way, almost like a brutal adult version of a children’s story or fable – something to bore under your skin and stick around for a while. I hope, like all great horror, it speaks some truth about human nature, even if it’s a side we’d rather not see.”
If this is what 2024 is going to be bringing in terms of quality in horror films, then I am more than ready. The Seeding will be available on UK Digital Download from the 12th of February on all of the usual platforms. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. The trailer and artwork for the film are posted below.
