In the Earth
A pandemic-era expedition into an English forest becomes a disorienting collision of science, occult belief, and primal ecological terror.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- dread-filled
- psychedelic
- late night horror viewing
- arthouse horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s originality, atmosphere, performances, dark humor, and visceral horror while finding its rushed conclusion and thematic ideas less substantial.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The forest setting, alchemical imagery, ritualistic behavior, and mysterious entity connect the scientific crisis to British folk-horror traditions.
Pulsing lights, distorted sound, cryptic imagery, and abrupt shifts in perception make the forest experience feel hallucinatory and unstable.
The deadly virus and isolated research mission place contemporary pandemic anxiety at the center of the characters’ increasingly fearful decisions.
The forest, fungal networks, plant life, and unexplained signals challenge the assumption that nature is passive background.
Films like In the Earth, and why
The Blair Witch Project
shared psychological horror, wilderness isolation, ambiguous supernatural threat, and disorienting atmosphere
The Happening
shared pandemic anxiety, ecological menace, and science fiction horror built around unexplained natural forces
A Field in England
shared psychedelic folk horror, occult imagery, rural isolation, and formally experimental intensity
Annihilation
shared body horror, scientific uncertainty, and claustrophobic paranoia within a hostile environment
Movie Details
- Director
- Ben Wheatley
- Release Date
- 2021-04-16
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (406)
Cast
- Joel Fry
- Ellora Torchia
- Hayley Squires
- Reece Shearsmith
- John Hollingworth
- Mark Monero
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is In the Earth about?
- A pandemic-era expedition into an English forest becomes a disorienting collision of science, occult belief, and primal ecological terror.
- What is In the Earth like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of In the Earth as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is In the Earth violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in In the Earth as graphic.
- What did critics think of In the Earth?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s originality, atmosphere, performances, dark humor, and visceral horror while finding its rushed conclusion and thematic ideas less substantial.
- Which films are like In the Earth?
- Films with a similar feel include The Blair Witch Project, The Happening, A Field in England, and Annihilation.
- How long is In the Earth?
- In the Earth runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch In the Earth?
- In United States, In the Earth streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
