With inconsistent pacing and a deeply unpleasant protagonist, it’s hard to recommend The Seeding to every viewer. It’s really slow-paced, deeply uncomfortable, and it starts with, of all things, a baby eating a finger. But there’s an interesting style to this arthouse horror, a marriage of desert survival thriller and folk horror that restricts all possible modes of escape through its claustrophobic canyon. As Wyndham gradually discovers a secret community driven back to primitive instincts, director Barnaby Clay inverts the idea of what it means to be one’s fundamental self. Most viewers might not appreciate the story, and the ideas aren’t as cohesive as it could be, but horror fans looking for something new in the genre might find The Seeding fairly interesting.
Synopsis
When a hiker gets lost in the desert, a gang of feral children propelled by haunting legacies traps him in a sadistic battle for survival with a frightening endgame.
Storyline
Lost in the desert canyon, hiker Wyndham Stone takes refuge with a woman living off-grid, leading him to be captive with her to a pack of feral boys.
TLDR
Lesson learned: Do not go to the desert for the solar eclipse. Stay away.
What stands out
The canyon shots. The desert isn’t the usual setting for a horror film, though it has been popping up more recently, and Clay’s shots maximize the terror of the canyon environment.