Eco horror is a trend that has been building for the last couple of years, and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. The latest film to embrace the movement is D. M. Cunningham’s The Spore. Mushrooms are once more thrust into the role of evil villain as a newly discovered spore wreaks havoc. Made just before the pandemic struck, The Spore takes on an eerie new feeling when watching now; Cunningham almost appears to have prophesied the imminent global catastrophe. Told through a variety of different characters’ eyes over several chapters, The Spore follows the lifespan of a deadly new spore as it passes from person to person. With each new chapter, the horror intensifies as the viewer becomes privy to the mutated spore and just what that means for those infected by it.
A potential by-product of the new generation of film creatives being those that grew up on Tarantino films like Pulp Fiction, splitting films into chapters is another common trend that has gradually been on the rise. In The Spore, the chapter points move the narrative onto its next character. Shifting in this way imbues The Spore with an almost anthology style quality, which works most of the time. However, there are a couple of instances, especially towards the start, where the viewer is left wanting more and hoping to be reunited with certain characters, something that doesn’t happen. This frustration fades once the viewer gets their head around the fact that the story is following the spore and not the cast. To further reinforce this, the first half hour or so has little on-screen dialogue. Exposition concerning what is happening is told over radio chatter. It’s a nifty narrative device that brings everyone up to speed without having to sit through forced conversations between strangers. The decision does however cause a challenge for the cast. With each character only on screen for a short amount of time, some have clearly struggled to fully connect with their role, leaving the viewer with a similar disconnect.
The Spore is a micro-budget production, a classic type of film that genre festivals love to take under their wings. Whilst other festivals might turn their noses up at a production that was cobbled together from the bare basics available to the filmmakers, events like Grimmfest (where The Spore has just screened) see past these rougher edges, looking to the passion and heart that has gone into its creation. The Spore definitely has some wobbly moments, but there’s plenty of interesting ideas at play.
The Spore
Summary
If you’re a fan of eco-horror, apocalypse films, and stories that explore the human condition, then you should seek out D. M. Cunningham’s The Spore. A real low-budget, all hands on deck production, Cunningham’s film presents some interesting ideas that are sure to capture your imagination.
The Spore was reviewed at Grimmfest 2021.
