The Dreadful (2026) Review – Aptly Titled Folk Horror Bore

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing the folk horror movie The Dreadful (2026). If you just got done watching this film and are desperate for answers, check out our The Dreadful ending explained article. Keep in mind however, that article does contain spoilers, unlike this review.

Big Names, Bigger Yawns

Normally you would expect to learn about a new horror release through movie posters, random trailers, or advertisements in prominent places. If you are anything like me however, the way you may have learned about the impending release of The Dreadful is through the numerous interviews where the film’s star, Sophie Turner, reflected on her disgust at having to smooch her costar (and former Game of Thrones onscreen cousin) Kit Harrington.

“Kermani’s “tell, don’t show” style of directing is an ill match for a folk horror that is absolutely begging for some haunting horror imagery to take centre stage.”

Apparently, they nearly vomited. Their mutual nausea is headline-grabbing stuff, I am sure, but it’s a shame no one warned us that the film itself is the real endurance test. The events are set in the 1400s against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses. Anne (Turner) has been awaiting the return of her husband, only for his best friend (Harrington) to suddenly reappear without him. He claims Seamus didn’t survive but a ghostly figure seemingly haunting Anne suggests there may be more to the story than he is letting on.

Needless to say, there are some big names here. Turner and Harrington both enjoyed a lot of success with their major roles in Game of Thrones and have become household names. Marcia Gay Harden, playing Anne’s mother-in-law Morwen, is also an incredibly accomplished talent. The weak link here is director Natasha Kermani.

Horror fans might know Kermani for, what is widely viewed as, the weakest segment in V/H/S/85 – TKNOGD. She’s something of a purveyor of poor horror on the whole though, with titles like Abraham’s Boys (2025) and Lucky (2020) reading less like a promising back catalogue and more like a reason to prepare yourself for disappointment.

It pays to heed that warning; The Dreadful is exactly that – a disappointment. Kermani’s “tell, don’t show” style of directing is an ill match for a folk horror that is absolutely begging for some haunting horror imagery to take centre stage.

Wasted potential

Everything about this movie screams potential. A great setting, an interesting enough story, a decent cast, a budget that is obviously fairly substantial, and a folk horror genre that has been trending ever since The Witch. It has everything going in its favour but it squanders it. The Dreadful is just such a chore to get through.

“Brief flashes of that once luminous promise do offer some hope but they fade rapidly.”

The biggest problem might be the story pacing which is utterly glacial. There’s a few different narrative threads woven together here and each competes for attention. You have Anne’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law, a blossoming romance with childhood friend Jago, a mysterious demon knight who appears every now and then, and a devoted focus to reflecting the perils of medieval living.

It feels messy and lacking in cohesion. Kermani, who is also responsible for the writing, chooses to bypass scenes of intrigue in favour of meandering monologues. Do we really need Anne to constantly outline her inner most thoughts in vivid detail? Characters talk, talk, and then talk some more. It’s to the point where the script starts to become an anchor that refuses to let the movie ever get going.

Brief flashes of that once luminous promise do offer some hope but they fade rapidly. Well structured scenes of the, admittedly, bad-ass looking supernatural knight are flanked by additional talking and further repetitive depictions of tough medieval living that’s more toil than excitement.

It’s very difficult to shake the feeling that Kermani had no idea when to let a moment breathe and when to quickly skip over something inconsequential. There are a lot of scenes that are given far too much time while having very little impact on the story itself, while others are ruthlessly fleeting despite offering promise.

Very little to praise

It’s hard to even suggest the movie to fans of the actors themselves or people looking for horror romance. Scenes of canoodling feel pointless and the pre-release focus on the relationship between Harrington and Turner’s characters seems like a desperate attempt to generate interest. The two leads have a surprising lack of chemistry given their working history and off-screen friendship.

“It’s something of a shame that scary isn’t the film’s default state because it works quite well when its actually trying to look like a horror movie.”

On the plus side, Marcia Gay Harden is fantastic. She does a brilliant job portraying a character that should inspire pity but is actually a bit of a wretch. Turner is fine, as is Harrington. The accents feel a little overcooked at times though, and do wander a bit.

Both characters suffer for some terrible writing. This might actually be Kermani’s biggest weakness and it’s clear she should have devolved this task to someone more capable. Some of the dialogue feels wooden and there’s an uncomfortable mix of old English prose and something that feels altogether more modern.

There’s a lot of moments where characters explicitly explain narrative points that would have been best delivered through subtext and visual clues. Kermani prefers to hammer a point home with words rather than gracefully introduce it with subtlety and finesse.

The Dreadful is at its best when it tries to be a properly atmospheric folk horror. The dreary location, moody lighting, and gorgeous visuals do a lot of heavy lifting and certain scenes will have you pining for more scares and more of what works.

It’s something of a shame that scary isn’t the film’s default state because it works quite well when its actually trying to look like a horror movie. It’s quite haunting and pretty atmospheric. There’s just not enough of it to justify recommending The Dreadful to anyone other than folk horror obsessives and fans of the cast.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.