10 Great Recent Horror Movies That Not Enough People Have Seen
9. Jug Face
This 2013 film from writer-director Chad Crawford Kinkle is a peculiar, unnerving and imaginative modern take on the oft-neglected folk horror subgenre, with compelling lead performances from Lauren Ashley Carter and Sean Bridgers (who previously co-starred in Lucky McKee's The Woman), plus supporting turns from Larry Fessenden and Sean Young.
Jug Face centres on an isolated, backwoods pagan community, whose bizarre customs see them worship a sacred pit into which members of the community must sporadically be sacrificed. Dawai (Bridgers) crafts jugs bearing the faces of those who the pit 'wants,' but when young expectant mother Ada (Carter) finds that the latest jug is of her, she tries to hide it and escape.
It's a very odd premise which will alienate some viewers, for certain, but the strange new world the film presents is fascinating. Sadly, Jug Face is Kinkle's only feature film to date and, annoyingly, it was retitled The Pit for its initial UK DVD release.