FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY Director Richard Raaphorst Returns with Dark Folk Horror Film CHILDREN OF THE MOOR
It’s been over a decade since Richard Raaphorst last stepped behind the camera, unleashing his bonkers cult hit Frankenstein’s Army in 2013. Now, he’s gearing up for a long-awaited return, and this time, he’s trading war-torn steampunk monsters for eerie folklore, twisted humor, and the haunting stillness of the countryside.
His next project is a folk horror film titled Children of the Moor, which will be pitched at the Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film in Cannes.
The logline is unsettling in a slow-burn kind of way: A family moves into a remote farmhouse to start fresh. But their teenage daughter stumbles onto a dark past—the spirits of murdered children are still lingering—and as the history of the land begins to surface, her father’s sanity starts to crack.
Raaphorst describes the film as “handmade folk horror meets a home renovation show.” It’s an interesting combo, but it’s sure to give us a layered, genre-bending experience. Think HGTV, but with ghosts and psychological breakdowns.
The project is being developed by Raaphorst’s creative collective, The Mad Scientists, in collaboration with the UK-based 52 Films. Screenwriter Adam Park, who also leads 52 Films, is writing the script.
Shooting is planned for Spring 2026, and the team is currently on the hunt for co-producers, a sales agent, and possibly a third European partner to round out the financing puzzle.
Visually, Raaphorst is looking to pivot from the grungy, grotesque aesthetic of Frankenstein’s Army toward something more grounded and eerie:
“I want to emphasize the beauty of nature… make it almost romantic while everything goes wrong at the farm. That contrast can be incredibly frightening.” He also points to Italian horror masters like Dario Argento for inspiration, admiring their “poetic yet gruesome” approach to terror.
Children of the Moor sounds like the kind of unsettling, slow-creeping horror tale that I will enjoy watching.
Source: Variety