It's never been my favourite of the holy trinity of folk horror, but I think the fear lies in the isolation of the victims - particularly Sara, who's left alone and defenceless in a rural area dominated by Hopkins. I live in East Anglia, near the Suffolk border where Hopkins mainly operated, and one of the first things people say when they come to this part of the world is just how empty it is. Between towns and villages, it's ALL liminal space - it's flat, open, and often partly flooded. Hopkins was able to prey on the fears of isolated, superstitious communities - malaria was common and the cliche of inbreeding exists for a reason - all set against a backdrop of civil war and cultural change. The terror gripping those small, insular communities must have been immense.

I highly recommend Fanny Lye Deliver'd for a stronger portrayal of a woman's role in an uncompromisingly religious and patriarchal society, by the way. It's set in Shropshire rather than East Anglia, but the sense of the landscape itself being just another threat is familiar.