SEVERIN BOX SET RELEASE: All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium Of Folk Horror Vol. 2: To Fire You Come At Last (2023)

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In rural 17th century England, Squire Marlow (Mark Carlisle) offers several men double their normal wages if they carry his son’s coffin to the graveyard by night. The group includes best friend of the dead man Holt (Harry Roebuck), the drunken Ransley (James Swanton), the servant Pike (Richard Rowden) and the Squire, who wants to say goodbye to his son.

Despite the warnings and superstitions, they undertake the walk and begin to argue, as both Holt and Ransley had wronged the Squire’s son, who promises revenge. As it grows darker, they begin to see an ominous dog and spectres surrounding them.

I never heard of a corpse road before this. As England grew and churches became closer together, ministers had these highways created to connect faraway locations and mother churches with the main church having the burial rights. That means that poorer people had to transport the dead many miles through dangerous terrain. Unless they were a wealthy family, that meany that pallbearers would shoulder them by hand the whole way.

These roads were left unplowed and sometimes went near and even through homes, as changing the route was bad luck. This is also where the legends of corpse candles or fires started, as they were lights that would enlighten the pathway to the grave.

While a bit talkative and like a stage play, this was a great start to the All the Haunts Be Ours Volume Two set. Now I need to watch Sean Hogan’s other films. I’d seen his part in Little Deaths, but now I want to track down The Devil’s Business and Lie Still, as well as the fan films he made, The Thing: 27,000 Hours and Halloween:H33. I haven’t had the benefit of watching much 1970s British TV horror and I’ve read how scary it can be.

As always, I have so much homework to do.

To Fire You Come At Last is part of the new Severin box set, All the Haunts Be Ours Volume 2. It has extras including commentary by director Sean Hogan and co-producers Paul Goodwin And Nicholas Harwood; On The Lych Way in which Corpse Road Chronicler Dr. Stuart Dunn discusses the Pathways Of The Dead; a trailer and two short films, We Always Find Ourselves In the Sea and Our Selves Unknown.

You can order this set from Severin.