Fopp’s Film of the Month always aims to pick the films that have flown under the radar, gaining critical acclaim but deserving of larger, more widespread audiences, and Lamb is no exception. Directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson (his feature film directorial debut) and from the acclaimed A24 studios who have bought us an array of other exciting horror titles, namely Hereditary and Midsommar, Lamb is a nordic folk horror of the highest calibre.

Set in Iceland and starring the bewitching Noomi Rapace (The Girl…trilogy, Prometheus) on stellar form, Lamb excels at making the eerie remote setting perfect for the sense of foreboding dread that envelopes the film. When Maria and Ingvar help deliver a new arrival on their farm, the couple get strongly attached to the wonder they feel they’ve been blessed with. After it’s revealed they previously lost their only child, the audience are left to ponder if their grief has taken over all their sensibility….

Watching Lamb, I was drawn to how Jóhannsson has created something so individual and vulnerable, featuring some of those classic horror genre tropes but blending with them his own unique touches. Some moments are at once bewildering and perplexing, but you’re always 100% behind it – wanting the best for the central couple and their family life, but knowing it’s not possibly going to end well at all.

Also watch: You Won’t Be Alone, Border, Let The Right One In

For fans of: Midsommar, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, A Ghost Story

John Grove, Fopp Cambridge