In the Earth: Gruesome woodland horror has plenty of bark and bite

Ben Wheatley’s surprise lockdown film is one of the first movies to see Covid reflected in the horror genre, even if its roots don’t run so deep

In the Earth, directed by Ben Wheatley, tackles Covid-19 through horror and our failed relationship with the environment

In the Earth

Directed by Ben Wheatley

Nationwide, 18

Rating: ****

Luca

Directed by Enrico Casarosa

Disney+, PG

Rating: ***

Shot on the cheap and in secret, with a small cast and skeleton crew during a brief lull between lockdowns, writer and director Ben Wheatley’s new woodland horror In the Earth couldn’t be more different from his last effort, the lavishly appointed, but ultimately disappointing Netflix remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca.

Grimly funny, unashamedly gory ...