The ultimate cool family in independent cinema, the Adams-Poser clan, is back with another unsettling, low-budget horror feature. Their latest film, Mother of Flies, weaves a menacing tale of mortality, maternal instincts, and microdosed psychedelics, premiering on Shudder and AMC+ from 23 January.
A Family Affair in Filmmaking
For those who admire creative, collaborative families, the Adams-Poser unit sets a high bar. Based in upstate New York, the family of four – parents Toby Poser and John Adams and their daughters Zelda and Lulu Adams – are the driving force behind their films. They share duties across directing, writing, producing, acting, and even handling camera work and costumes. The result is a strikingly professional and effective body of work, renowned for its ability to generate genuine scares. While their scripts can occasionally veer towards the pretentious, they are consistently original and compelling.
Their previous collaborations include Hellbender, Halfway to Zen, and Rumblestrips, often exploring familial dynamics. In Mother of Flies, Toby Poser takes centre stage as Solveig, a peculiar, witch-like woman with a deep connection to nature and a swarm of bluebottles. She is not the biological mother to the protagonist, Mickey (played by Zelda Adams), a college student facing a dire prognosis.
A Desperate Journey into the Woods
The plot centres on Mickey, who survived cancer years ago but is now battling a new, inoperable tumour. Given just months to live, she and her widowed father, Jake (John Adams), answer a cryptic summons to Solveig's remote forest home. The dwelling itself is a character – a bizarre, moss-covered fusion of Victorian architecture and gnarled tree roots.
Jake struggles with the foraged food and basic amenities, but his desperation to help his daughter keeps him there. Mickey, however, proves more receptive to Solveig's eccentricities, which include an antiquated manner of speech and the unsettling habit of microdosing her guests with psychedelics. It's a hospitality experience few Airbnbs could match.
Building an Atmosphere of Dread
The filmmakers expertly cultivate a thick, unnerving atmosphere over the first act. The perspective shifts between the confused, 'normie' viewpoint of Mickey and Jake and the grotesque, blood-drenched visions linked to Solveig's past. These flashbacks feature rotting corpses, screaming mouths, and harrowing imagery, supported by a cast largely populated by other members of the extended Adams family.
While the menace is palpable and effectively fecund, the film is not without its indulgences. Some sequences feel padded, particularly those featuring Solveig's poetic incantations, which can sound like awkward Emily Dickinson parodies. Nevertheless, the overall effect is powerful.
Mother of Flies represents a glossier, more refined effort from the family filmmaking team. It may not be a revolutionary step forward, but it solidifies their unique and compelling vision in the folk horror landscape. For those seeking original, atmospheric chills, this is a trip worth taking.
