The idea of visiting a confirmed witch who lives in the woods is prime real estate for a horror text, which makes it a solid concept for the Adams family’s latest project. But rather than simply subject the humans at the center of the drama to the usual routine sorcery, the indie filmmakers use that foundation to explore issues of health, motherhood, and the relationship between life and death. Featuring outstanding production design, some gnarly practical FX, and a stand-out performance from matriarch Toby Poser, Mother of Flies is another solid outing for the indie DIY team.
It’s clear right from the beginning that something is wrong with Mickey (Zelda Adams). The College student has dark circles and a pale complexion as she taps at the communal piano in her dorm, and a friend tentatively enquires if “it’s back.” We understand from the first meeting with her father, Jake (John Adams), that Mickey has cancer; that her (admittedly stylish) short hair has only recently grown in; and that she has exhausted all of the conventional medical options.
That leaves them with the witch in the woods.
Solveig (Poser) is actually introduced first: the film opens on her naked body, covered in blood, and caressing a rotting corpse in the woods. The grotesque, evocative imagery is contrasted by the witch’s beautifully philosophical voice-over about life and death, which is a recurring motif throughout the film.
Despite Jake’s concern, Mickey has elected to stay with Solveig for three days of intensive treatment. En route, however, the red flags begin to pop up: it was Solveig who reached out to Mickey, and she’s not charging the girl anything. When father and daughter pull up at the witch’s forest house, they discover it is literally built out of a tree and features an enormous rock pile/totem in the front yard. The set-up bears all of the hallmarks of a fairy tale crone who lures the heroine to her doom, so the chilly reception Solveig gives a clearly unwelcome Jake doesn’t help.
Some level of patience is required to truly sink into the world of Mother of Flies. The film leans heavily on its beautiful wooded scenery to create an ominous mood. This helps the moments of abject horror stand out because it’s often a shock, but they are sporadic. Much of the film is comprised of characters walking through the woods, and there’s a great deal of dialogue back and forth between Solveig and Mickey as the relationship between life and death is interrogated.
The prose, while beautiful, occasionally feels at odds with the film’s narrative momentum. Mother of Flies doesn’t build steadily towards the conclusion of the three-day treatment; the pacing is content to weave and circle back on itself, punctuated by occasional moments of violence. It’s never boring, but the climax doesn’t feel properly anticipated.
When the violence and viscera does show up, however, it looks great, thanks to Trey Lindsay’s Special Visual Effects & Digital Makeup (along with additional practical & makeup effects by Toby Poser and John Adams). This includes a variety of wounds that Solveig inflicts on both Mickey and Jake, usually with her thistle/branch. This innocuous weapon is the main tool used to puncture and slice open bodies and it proves to be an exceedingly memorable prop.
The film is at its best when Poser is front and center. Solveig’s history is intriguing, her methods are unconventional, and her motives are suspect, which makes for a fascinating character. Poser’s verbal delivery and her commanding (verging on regal) presence make the character incredibly compelling, especially as flashbacks scattered throughout the film reveal the character’s back story.
John Adams, by comparison, doesn’t always fare as well. His tender early scenes with real life daughter Zelda have an awkward, stilted quality to them. It’s as if the pair are improvising, but they keep almost stepping on each other’s lines. The dynamic improves later in the film when they begin to fight over her treatment, but something about their early scenes feels off.
The performances of both Zelda and John are elevated, however, when they share a scene with Posey. This includes an uncomfortable dinner sequence featuring questionably edible materials, and a bonding moment later when witch and patient discuss swimming in the Dead Sea.
The conclusion of the film centers around the final day of Mickey’s treatment, and it proves to be the film’s other stand-out. As the past and present collide in a spectacle of practical FX, the narrative cleverly aligns Mickey’s cancer journey with Solveig’s complicated history with motherhood. The result is a satisfying pay-off for a film that has interrogated, and even complicated, the traditional relationship between life and death.
While several of the scenes between father and daughter don’t entirely work and the rising action doesn’t build steadily to the finale, there’s plenty to recommend in Mother of Flies. The movie continues the tradition of Adams family films featuring beautiful prose, visceral FX, and gorgeously moody environments and Poser’s career-best performance as Solveig is the cherry on top.
Mother of Flies had its world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival. The film will be released on Shudder in 2026.
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