Poser, who also produced the feature, embodies her witch persona so thoroughly when she appears that it causes the air to bend. The occult stylization escalates throughout the picture, leaping from one visionary plateau to the next. The visual intensity of the ever-present arcane nature imagery qualifies this film to be the Suspiria of folk horror. This means it is also an excellent film to get high to, as this can easily be a weekend weed movie destination for those with a taste for darkness. If you enjoy getting stoned to Kenneth Anger or Dario Argento pictures, you have got to smoke out to Mother of Flies.
It is almost like the St. Vitus song “Mystic Lady” being adapted into a movie, with the same level of crazy voodoo of the metal solo during the bridge. This is a reference The Adams Family may appreciate, as they have been at the forefront of using metal on their soundtracks. The power that heavy music can add to film imagery has barely been tapped, with rewards awaiting those with hearing protection.
“… a weekend weed movie destination for those with a taste for darkness …”
The metal soundtrack was one of the many successful elements of The Adams Family prior movie, Hell Hole, an imaginative take on the rubber monster picture. The hard rock is used more judiciously here, being played in the background by an array of people from different walks. The metal pops when it shows up, just like it did in River’s Edge back in the day.
That the music is credited to The Adams Family shows how committed this family is to metal. Their contribution to normalizing the use of metal in movies will be a mile marker in film history, a giant stone headless cross planted at a fork in the road. I would encourage any horror filmmakers to follow their example, as heavy metal has always been synonymous with horror. There are a lot of fans of both who will eat films that sound like these with a pitchfork. Mother of Flies is family-made entertainment at its finest, though it is best suited for families that have Xs carved into their shaved heads.
"…ever-present arcane nature imagery makes this the the Suspiria of folk horror"
