10 Best Irish Horror Movies You Need To Watch

When Tommy (Aneurin Barnard) witnesses his pregnant wife beaten to death in a rundown block of flats by a group of hooded teenagers he develops severe agoraphobia and becomes convinced that the same group of hoodlums are now after his daughter. However, a priest (James Cosmo) informs him that these children aren’t human, and aims to destroy the apartment building, believing it to be the creatures’ nest.

Psychological horror Citadel offers an all-too-human depiction of fear and trauma written and directed by Ciarán Foy as his directorial debut. Seeing the hooded figures continuously crop up (including in the daughter’s bedroom at night) is frightening enough, but the stranger danger and social commentary is given a further layer of depth by tapping into Tommy’s increasingly agitated state.

Presented through Tommy’s perspective, Foy traps viewers within the protagonist’s fractured mindset. Viewers understand exactly why they should be afraid of these children. However, the truth about them isn't revealed until the climax, which comes to a head in harrowing fashion.

Children being creepy in horror movies is an old and familiar trope. But in Citadel, Foy takes this cliche and transforms it into a different kind of beast entirely.