10 Best Irish Horror Movies You Need To Watch

Echoing folk horror undertones of The Wicker Man with a dash of Don’t Look Now and Stephen King’s Pet Sematary thrown in for added flavour, David Keating’s Wake Wood is a macabre allegory of loss, death, and violence that will stay with viewers long after the credits roll.

After their young daughter is mauled to death in a dog attack, Patrick (Aidan Gillen) and Louisa (Eva Birthistle) move to the titular town in a bid to cope with their grief. While there, however, the pair witness gruesome rituals held by the locals. Later, they're approached by the town’s mayor (Timothy Spall) who offers them the chance to get their daughter back for three days.

The ritual itself is a stomach-churning, gory affair that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. The parents are thrilled to be reunited with their daughter once again, but something went wrong with the ritual and the youngster returns with a murderous side.

Though the plot follows Pet Sematary’s a little too closely, Wake Wood distinguishes itself from King's story through its macabre atmosphere, gruesome imagery, and loving homages to the retro horror cinema that inspired it.