'Moloch' is a modern folk horror film following Betriek, a single mother who lives at the edge of a peat bog. After her family is attacked one night, Betriek seeks to find the reason behind the attack. The deeper she looks, the more she is convinced her family is cursed by an ancient evil.
The film opens with a flashback to Betriek hiding under the stairs in her family home as a brutal murder happens upstairs. At present, Betriek drives to her familial home on the edge of a bog. Nearby, a research crew are establishing an excavation site, examining the surprisingly well preserved body of a woman. Her daughter and mother, Hanna and Elske meet Betriek at home after a school pick-up. Betriek speaks to her mother as she does not want her driving her daughter, as Elske is known to have seizures.
One night, Betriek sees someone skulking in the garden and speaks with Jonas, a researcher digging in the bog nearby, asking his workers not to wander near the house. The following night, a worker breaks into their home and attacks Elske, but her father Roelof manages to thwart the attack and knocks the worker out with a hammer.
After a hospital visit for her mother’s seizures, Betriek sees Jonas heading to visit with the worker and follows him. She spies on the family gathered around the injured man and is scared off by his little daughter, who follows her to the elevator. There, the girl goes into a trance-like state and Betriek sees a spectre.
Later, out for a drink with Jonas, Betriek tells him of the local legend of Feike, a young servant girl who was condemned to be executed for falling pregnant by her master. She explains that the legend was told to keep children away from the bog, as her spirit wanders the land, whispering evil words to whoever may listen.
Coinciding with the odd happenings, the local celebration takes place where Hanna plays a part in the school play about Feike, elaborating that the young girl prayed to god to save her life, but instead someone else listened; - Moloch. Feike promised to worship him and before being executed, cut her own throat. Visiting the dig site, Betriek sees that more women have been found, all with their throats cut and all from the same family. Unable to dismiss the folklore, Betriek still holds some part of it true and visits with a local man who explains that the whispers could be a cry for help from the spirit world.
Heading home, and preparing to leave, Betriek, Hanna and Else are attacked by Roelof. Betriek manages to lock Hanna away under the stairs whilst Elske ambushes Roelof and hangs him. Shocked, Betriek is then knocked out and tied up by Elske and reveals to form part of Moloch’s followers. Elske then slits her throat and falls to the ground, with Feike’s spirit then hovering over Betriek. Realising that the sacrifices to Moloch are still happening, Jonas rushes to Betriek only to find her regaining consciousness where she was tied up.
Some time later, Jonas invites Betriek for coffee. The two talk, and he invites her and Hanna to stay at his guest house, suggesting a change of scenery would be good for them. Betriek dismisses the invitation and heads home with Hanna. There, the two are curled up on the couch reading, with the final shot panning out of the window, into the darkness, as Betriek and the rest of her ancestral foremother’s spirits look on to the two, revealing Feike’s spirit now in possession of Betriek’s body.
‘Moloch’ is a tense and bleak modern folk horror film, depicting the dark curse that has besieged Betriek and her family almost to the point of comparison with a disease. As we follow Betriek, there is an immediate sense of tension, a reservation to her actions, indicating that she is aware of and traumatised by a dark shadow hanging over her family.
What works so well in the film, is that the curse that haunts the family is rarely mentioned or talked about, drawing more closely to real life trauma or illness that may befall a family, providing for a constant sense of unease, repression and ultimately fear.
Wanting to break free, or at least come closer to some sort of explanation, Betriek seeks out answers to what may be plaguing her and the people closes to her. The film is well paced and delivers just enough clues throughout to keep the viewer intrigued without giving away too much. The final reveal of Feike’s spirit to have been passing on from host to host, having groomed every successive daughter in the family to be able to take over them and in essence live forever, makes for a truly unique and horrifying experience. What makes the final scene most impactful however, is not seeing Feike’s grotesque appearance, rather it is knowing that Hanna is being raised for a sole purpose, with Betriek’s spirit looking over her, unable to change her fate, with her doomed to keep the cycle of sacrifice going.
The film is comprised of a great cast, most notably Sallie Harmsen as Betriek and Anneke Blok as Elske. Harmsen displays a great range of emotions that is always accompanied by a quiet downcast undertone, signalling towards the constant worry the character experiences, adding to the tension and unease of the story.
Blok’s Elske is easily dismissed on the first viewing of the feature as the hapless, unassuming older lady, just getting by one day at a time. On a re-watch however, her presence becomes menacing and almost hate inducing, knowing that she is only there to protect her future, namely Hanna. Blok delivers a quiet yet sinister performance through Elske and makes for a completely different viewing experience once the viewer is aware of her true motives.
‘Moloch’ is unique in its delivery, not relying on shock value, rather setting up an investigation for Betriek and a race against the clock as the world seems to be collapsing in on her nearing the celebration for Moloch. The film is impactful in its storytelling and has great re-watch value, as the film imbues an even greater sense of despair and dread, with the viewer knowing that the spirits were trying to save Betriek and her daughter. Unable to break the cycle, Betriek and the viewer is forced to watch as Feike secures her next victim.
Score: 3/4
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