Vittra is Evil Dead meets Scandinavian folklore, gorehounds rejoice

Vittra, or Wither in English, is an upcoming horror film that looks like it owes just a little debt to The Evil Dead, which is also seeing a reboot this year.

But interestingly, Vittra is based on a type of wight that can be found in Scandinavian folklore, a spirit that lives underground, hidden from the realm of human beings. However, if disturbed it is said that the vittra can become ferocious and even kill people by orchestrating 'accidents'.

From the trailer, Vittra essentially looks like a zombie flick, but according to filmmakers Tommy Wiklund and Sonny Laguna, the movie's supposed to be a love letter to old school horror and a reaction to recent self-deprecating horror films like Cabin in the Woods.

"I hate Cabin in the Woods. Scream, however, might be silly but it's clever as it has a valid point about a psychopath being able to copy horror movie plots in real life," said Laguna in an interview with Swedish news site The Local.

Personally, I thought Cabin in the Woods was a pretty clever and loving send-up to the genre and Vittra looks a bit unoriginal, but that's not going to stop me from watching it.

You can check out the trailer below (warning: it's pretty gory).

In the interview, the filmmakers refer to old Swedish maps which still mark some paths as 'vitterstråk', or 'wither trails' where people avoid building houses in fear of disturbing the creatures.

It is said that by respecting the vittra by saying "look out" when pouring out hot water and urinating, warning them to get out of the way.

While the film doesn't look like it's going to be an accurate representation of the folk creature (whatever accurate means in folklore) it still looks worth a watch.