When you think of Ireland, images of lush green landscapes, old castles, whiskey, Guinness, and Colin Farrell are likely to come to mind. What you’re far less likely to think of is horror. Despite Bram Stoker, famed author of Dracula, hailing from Ireland, many are not aware of the stellar horror content that the country has produced. The Irish horror movie scene is especially strong with a plethora of excellent films being produced over the last few decades. So, why don't you spend this St. Patrick's Day immersed in the terror that Ireland has given us? Let's take a look at eight of the best horror movies to come from the Emerald Isle.
RELATED: 9 of the Best Films Ireland Has to Offer (And Actually Have Irish Actors In Them!)
Isolation (2005)
We don’t typically think of cows as scary, but after watching Isolation, you may find yourself thinking again before ordering beef for dinner. Written and directed by Billy O’Brien, Isolation was one of the first films to put Irish horror on the map. Dan Reily (John Lynch) owns a farm in rural Ireland that is struggling financially. He’s offered money in exchange for allowing secret experiments to be performed on his cows. Little does he know that the experiments are far more sinister than they seem. The cows become infested with a horrible parasitic creature that can infect both humans and animals. It’s up to Dan and a few locals to kill the parasite and prevent it from spreading across the world. A little bit of Aliens mixed with The Thing,Isolationis a movie you won’t forget. It’s filled with disgusting horror that will leave you queasy long after the film is over.
Citadel (2012)
Written and directed by Ciarán Foy, Citadelis a truly unnerving psychological horror movie. The film follows Tommy (Aneurin Barnard), an agoraphobic single father who watched his wife, Joanne (Amy Shiels), get attacked by a group of hooded teenagers while he was stuck in an elevator. Joanne eventually dies from the attack, and Tommy is left haunted by the experience. Struggling to deal with his intense fear and paranoia, Tommy turns to a kind-hearted nurse (Wunmi Mosaku) and a less-than-holy priest (James Cosmo) for help. But things get progressively worse, and the seemingly inhuman hooded youths that haunt Tommy become a dangerous threat to himself and his child. Citadel is thrilling, stressful, and scary. The film is based on a real attack that Foy experienced which left him with his own agoraphobia and was made as a way to cope with the incident. This gives Citadel an intensely real feeling that audiences will pick up on.
The Canal (2014)
The Canal tells the story of David (Rupert Evans), a troubled film archivist. David believes his wife, Alice (Hannah Hoekstra), is cheating on him with her work client, so naturally, he’s not in a great mental state. However, his problems get worse after he’s given footage to archive that shows his house at the center of a terrible murder. As the film progresses, David sinks into insanity and the audience is left wondering what is real and what is David’s psychosis. The Canal is a supernatural and psychological horror that makes you question every scene in the film. Writer and director, Ivan Kavanagh, did an excellent job in making the film a memorable and haunting experience.
Let Us Prey (2014)
Let Us Prey is a chaotic and bloody film directed by Brian O’Malley. While the film is Irish, the story takes place in a small Scottish town and follows rookie cop Rachel Heggie (Pollyanna McIntosh). At the start of the movie, Heggie witnesses a man getting hit by a car. She arrests the driver and has her coworkers look for the victim who seemingly disappeared. Once the victim is found and brought back to the remotely located police station, he is identified as a man who supposedly died twenty years ago. After the mysterious stranger (referred to as Six in the film’s credits) appears, chaos ensues. Six (Liam Cunningham) has the ability to enter the minds of everyone around him. He can see people’s sins, secrets, and trauma, and is on a mission to bring vengeful justice to those who deserve it. You won’t want to miss the insanity that this film brings. Let Us Prey is an intense, gory, and creative horror movie. It explores overcoming abuse and the darker side of human psychology all with a biblical twist. Cunningham’s portrayal of Six is excellent, and Game of Thrones fans should appreciate seeing the man behind Davos Seaworth in a different role.
The Hallow (2015)
The Hallow is Irish folk horror at its best. The film was directed by Corin Hardy and debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. The Hallow tells the story of Adam (Joseph Mawle) and Clare Hitchens (Bojana Novakovic), a British couple who move to the Irish countryside with their baby boy, Finn. After settling into their new home, the Hitchens find that the locals aren’t happy with their arrival. The people of the town warn Alex and Clare of “The Hallow”, mysterious creatures that live in the nearby woods and steal babies according to legend. More and more unsettling things happen to the family, and they quickly find out that The Hallow are much more than just an old fairy tale. Alex and Clare find themselves fighting for their survival against horrific creatures attempting to abduct their son. The Hallow is an exciting watch, blending many different horror genres together including body horror and monster movies. The film has an effective mixture of CGI and practical effects that bring the fantastically creepy Hallow to life. The Hallow provides a needed break from the typical horror movie villains and lets some underlooked folk-antagonists shine.
The Devil’s Doorway (2018)
The Devil’s Doorway is a unique entry to this list. Directed by Aislinn Clarke,The Devil’s Doorway is a found footage movie that explores the history of abuse and exploitation that occurred in Ireland’s Magdalene laundries. The movie begins in 1960, with two priests investigating claims of a miracle at a Magdalene laundry. According to a letter sent to the Church, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary in the asylum which periodically bleeds from the eyes. Upon arriving to inspect the claims, the priests uncover dark and horrifying secrets. Understandably, not everyone enjoys found footage movies, but fans of the genre will enjoy The Devil’s Doorway. There are a fair bit of clichés, but the film’s unique style and highlighting of real historical horrors leave a strong impact.
The Hole in the Ground (2019)
The Hole in the Ground is the first feature film of director Lee Cronin who is directing the upcoming Evil Dead Rise. It tells the story of single mother Sarah O’Neill (Seána Kerslake) and her young son, Chris (James Quinn Markey). The two relocate to the Irish countryside after Sarah and Chris’ Dad split, but soon after the move, Chris begins behaving strangely. Sarah believes her son’s new and unsettling behavior has something to do with a sinkhole near their house. She must discover the truth and find a way to get her son back to normal. The Hole in the Ground is an unsettling movie and is especially frightening for parents. The “evil child” trope has been done a lot in horror movies, but through strong performances by the actors, and the use of underappreciated Irish folklore, the film still entertains and scares.
You Are Not My Mother
One of the most unsettling yet enthralling horror stories about family, You Are Not My Mother excavatesa more harrowing truth about how we can lose those we love when society abandons them. A debut feature film from writer-director Kate Dolan, it centers on the story of a mother and daughter that withholds as much as it reveals. Such uncertainty only increases the growing sense of sadness that will soon consume the family. This is because the mother Angela (Carolyn Bracken) is not seeming like herself after returning home from going missing. Her daughter Char (Hazel Doupe) seems to be the only one to either notice or care about this. She then takes it upon herself to try to figure out what happened and what she can do, if anything, to save her mother from the darkness that is swallowing her up. It makes for a striking work that has more than its fair share of scares and burrows its way into your psyche. - Chase Hutchinson
