Mother of Flies [Fantasia 2025 Review]

by Mike McGranaghan

The Adams Family has earned great admiration within the horror community thanks to stunningly original low-budget horror films they write, direct, and star in, like Hellbender. The general public has yet to discover them, though. That will hopefully change with Mother of Flies, which had its world premiere at Fantasia 2025 and is slated to be released by Shudder in 2026. The family – consisting of John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser – has concocted another eerie winner.

Mickey (Zelda) has been diagnosed with cancer. After trying conventional treatment, she opts to take a stab at something nontraditional – namely, necromancy, a practice that involves communicating with the dead. Accompanied by her father Jake (John), she ventures to a remote wooded location to meet a witch named Solveig (Toby). The witch’s techniques are odd, and she’s usually surrounded by flies. Mickey holds on to hope; Jake, however, worries his daughter is being manipulated by Solveig for more devious purposes.

For most of its running time, Mother of Flies is a three-person chiller filled with nightmarish imagery. Each day that Mickey and Jake are there, the witch’s techniques grow more bizarre. An implication also exists that Solveig is messing with Jake because of his disbelief. The movie sets a spooky tone, making the forest location feel ominous, then depicts a series of events that leave you unsettled.

The horror amps up considerably during the final half-hour, as we learn the harrowing backstory of the witch. If you don’t find yourself tensing up and squirming, there may be something clinically wrong with you. The Adamses go to a dark place. Developing Solveig as a fully dimensional figure in her own right helps Mickey’s arc achieve the fullest impact possible. Some viewers will undoubtedly be shocked by the story’s most extreme aspects, but there’s no denying they generate a sensation of terror that can’t easily be shaken off.

Inside the spooky stuff is an affecting father/daughter relationship. Time is spent watching Mickey and Jake debate the merits of taking a chance on necromancy. She’s desperate to believe that something can cure her; he recognizes the potential for another disappointment to sap her remaining will to live. The two fight on occasion, yet the understanding that great love exists between them is always present.

With good performances from the central trio backing up its unpredictable story and gruesome visual effects, Mother of Flies has a fear factor much higher than the majority of big budget, studio-released horror movies. The shared vision of the Adams Family continues to impress.

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