Irish Horror Movies
As any Irish person will tell you, we invented Halloween. Our myths and legends are full of demons, fairies, banshees and things that go bump in the night. So, it is no surprise to see Ireland at the forefront of modern horror films. In recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of horror films set in Ireland, here is a look at some of the best.
The Hole In The Ground (2019)
After moving to the countryside, a single mother begins to suspect that her little boy is not actually her son anymore. Seána Kerslake stars as the mother who watches her sons increasingly strange behaviour, which she suspects has something to do with the ominous looking sinkhole in the forest at the back of her house. Folklore tales of Fairy Forts and Changelings (fairies who take the place of children) are the inspiration for the horror here.
The Cured (2017)
Set in Dublin, written and directed by David Freyne, this is a different take on the zombie movie. A cure has been found for those affected by a disease that turned them into flesh eating zombies, but their reintroduction to society has not been easy. Those former zombies are struggling to adapt and feel unwelcome in their former communities. Government and military interventions don’t help matters as tensions rise between the cured and everyone else. The film has some wonderful acting performances from Ellen Page, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Sam Keeley.
Unwelcome (2022)
After inheriting a house, a young English couple decide to give up on urban London and move to a small rural Irish town. The house comes with plenty of problems, it’s outdated, there is a hole in the roof and of course there are malevolent goblins called Redcaps (so called because they soak their caps in the blood of their victims) living in the woods at the end of the garden. A comedy horror movie with more laughs than scares staring Colm Meaney, Hannah John-Kamen, Douglas Booth and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell.
The Cellar (2022)
The opportunity to move to a large spacious Irish manor is just too good to turn down for Keira (Elisha Cuthbert) and Brian Woods (Eoin Macken). But it is a decision they soon regret when their daughter mysteriously vanishes from the cellar. Keira must now uncover the mysteries of the house and face the evil that has been awoken, or face losing her family forever.
Crone Wood (2016)
A spontaneous camping trip quickly turns into a nightmare as Danny (Ed Murphy) and Hailey (Elva Trill) realise they are not alone in the woods. Imagine The Wicker Man crossed with The Blair Witch Project but deeply rooted in Irish folklore. One review for the film described it as ‘culchie horror’ and it is easy to see why as Danny struggles to cope outside of his usual urban environment. With a small budget of around €17,000 and shot over a week, Crone Wood is a welcome addition to the found footage horror genre.
The Watchers (2024)
Written and directed by Ishana Shyamalan, daughter of the master of twists and suspense M. Night Shyamalan. Dakota Fanning plays Mina, an American artist living in Ireland, who feels lost (figuratively) and gets lost (literally) in a forest in the west of Ireland. Finding shelter with strangers she soon learns strange creature are watching them at night and there is no way to escape.
The Devil’s Doorway (2018)
The Vatican dispatches two priests, played by Lalor Roddy and Ciaran Flynn, to the Magdalene Laundry to investigate a potential miracle but what they uncover is truly horrifying. What sets this film apart from others is its use of the paranormal, the supernatural and the occult in combination with the real-life horrific events that took place at the Magdalene Laundries. A found footage style horror set during some of the darkest events from our history that will have you hiding behind the sofa.