The latest in a long line of new and original Halloween entertainment to add to our watchlists, Disney+’s new film Matriarch explores the complex relationships between mother and child and the daunting task of battling our inner demons. Out today, it’s set to be the next big British horror.

Jemima Rooper stars as Laura, who decides to leave her demanding advertising job and return to her hometown in Somerset after she nearly overdoses. Staying with her estranged mother Celia (Katie Dickie) in the secluded West Country village where she grew up, Laura hopes that returning to her roots will help her get a grasp on life.

But strange townspeople and mysterious happenings indicate that not everything is as it seems – and Laura realises her mother may be at the heart of a deadly secret.

Matriarch is the feature directorial debut of Ben Steiner and explores small-scale horror led by the ghosts of childhood trauma. But the film is a mix of genres, blending folk horror with comedy and incorporating shocking twists and turns. It’s this style that attracted Rooper to the role.

“I loved how kind of quiet and still it starts, and that it’s all about the character, but then it completely surprised me every few pages,” she told ScreenRant. “I was suddenly like, ‘I was not expecting that.’ There were bits that made me laugh, there were bits that are really creepy, there were bits that were just so bonkers. But it was brilliant and really entertaining and a page turner.”

Though there are some significant changes, the film acts as a spiritual successor to Steiner’s short film Urn, which also explores haunting mother-daughter dynamics.

The trailer for Matriarch shows that Laura is overworked and overwhelmed with drugs, booze, and sex before moving back to Somerset. In a phone call, her mother implores Laura to come home so that she can take care of her.

When Laura arrives at the village, she’s struck by how little has changed since she left home – to the point that it seems almost unbelievable.  Feeling thrown back into her own history, she meets some suspicious villagers before returning to Celia’s house. But is it really Laura’s mother? Or some demonic entity?

Laura and Celia’s relationship has clearly been difficult: Laura addresses some previous grievances and hints at an abusive past. Her intentions seem genuine as she tries to come to terms with everything that’s made her unravel, saying: “I wanted to try and get past the past.” 

But the village seems to be at the mercy of some higher power, and darkness attaches itself to Laura in more ways than one. The longer she stays, the more evil she will attract – and if one thing’s for sure, it’s that Laura won’t be able to get out of the village as easily as she walked in.

Celia looks to be the villain of Matriarch, with malicious motives behind inviting Laura back to the village. You’ll probably recognise Dickie from Game Of Thrones, in which she played the equally unhinged Lysa Arryn. 

Shot in Bristol and rural Somerset, Matriarch feels like a quintessentially British horror – and the themes of small-town terror and creepy locals will be eerily familiar to anyone who grew up in a tiny village. 

Add the everyday nightmare of Laura and Celia’s complex and twisted relationship, and Matriarch looks likely to solidify itself as a cult classic. 

Matriarch is out now on Disney+

Images: Hulu