THE SEEDING
Directed by: Barnaby Clay
Starring: Scott Haze, Kate Lyn Sheil. Alex Montaldo
Wyndham Stone is a photographer who is out in the desert to take photos of a solar eclipse. On his way back to his car he meets a young boy who says he's lost. However, when Wyndham tries to help him, he's led further into the desert and then abandoned. Eventually he comes across a mysterious woman living in a crater…
THE SEEDING manages to deliver an unsettling atmosphere and a premise that isn't as well-worn as most, although it is tailor-made for the COVID era of film-making. And it starts with a scene which will trigger parents everywhere.
Scott Haze stars as Wyndham, who we meet as he drives out into the desert - a classy drone shot from high above shows how the single track road he's following just…ends, looping back on itself. That in itself is kind of unsettling, like this is the point where the map gives up. He's there to take photographs of the solar eclipse - out in the desert there's much less chance of cloud cover obscuring the spectacle. However on his way back to the car he spots a youngish child who asks for his help.
When the boy disappears, Wyndham finds himself stranded and lost - its getting dark and he's lost his bearings. However, late into the night he hears some noise and on investigation discovers a small house situated in the centre of a crater. Climbing down a rope ladder, he discovers a woman called Alina living there. She allows him to stay the night but in the morning, Wyndham finds the rope ladder has been pulled up by a gang of sadistic, feral kids, trapping him with Alina.
Its interesting to see Wyndham slowly become institutionalized as to his fate. Days, weeks pass, and slowly he seems to accept that he is trapped and that Alina isn't a bad companion to be stuck with. The feral kids even provide food for them, lowering down packages via rope. Every now and then Wyndham will try and tempt Alina into wanting to leave with him. However it takes a very long time before Wyndham comes to understand Alina, and her relationship to the kids above.
The Seeding does a good job of creating its own sense of folk horror without nailing down any specifics. We learn the kids have sacred rituals which are chanted in an ancient language, native to the desert. The desert itself is strikingly shot, the swirling topography and strata of the rocks evoking a primordial landscape. Add to this the very atmospheric score by Tristan Bechet and you have a very intense audio/visual experience.
There are some issues with the film, starting with the character of Wyndham. We naturally sympathise with his plight - he's trapped, held against his will for no reason other than for the entertainment of the kids. However there are times when Wyndham really tests that bond of good will by being downright insufferable. The kids feel under-used, but that could be a result of COVID/lockdown restrictions. When they do appear there is definitely a sense of menace to them but the film never gets back to that creepy initial shot.
THE VERDICT
Strikingly shot with some dreamlike visuals and a great atmospheric score, THE SEEDING does stand out. It feels like the genesis of an folk-story all of its own which could be delved into deeper if there were to be a sequel. The kids' sadism goes beyond their years and there are elements of other horrors skirting the edges - Wrong Turn, Children of the Corn, Misery - but it is definitely its own thing at heart and despite its flaws is a very unsettling film, especially in its final moments.