An Taibhse - FrightFest International Premiere Review
Director: John Farrelly
Starring: Livvy Hill, Tom Kerrisk, Anthony Murphy, Tom Stafford
Written by: John Farrelly
Produced by: John Farrelly, Jim Sheridan
Cinematography by: Ross Power, John Farrelly
Original Score by: Ally Donald, Tom Kerrisk
Synopsis:
Éamon and his daughter Máire, are employed as caretakers for an isolated Georgian Mansion during the harsh winter months. Little do they know that this seemingly peaceful assignment will unleash a nightmare upon them.
Thoughts:
In recent years there has been a rise in the number of films set during the Irish famine to feature the Irish language. It has offered the opportunity to add a level of authenticity to a number of films that delve into a variety of genres. In 2018 there was the Western/Revenge film Black '47 and more recently in 2019 there was the harrowing drama Arracht. Now we have 'An Taibhse' (The Ghost) which is the first Irish language horror film ever made.
Set during the tail end of the Irish famine in 1852 the film follows a father and daughter who move to the Fitzwilliams family manor to carry out some much needed maintenance work. During their time there an evil presence is disturbed which sets in motion a series of paranormal phenomena around the property forcing the pair to confront some personal horrors.
The film opens with the father/daughter pairing of Éamon (Tom Kerrisk) and Máire (Livvy Hill) arriving at the house in the dead of night. The thing that strikes you almost immediately is how the director (and writer) John Farelly uses the location. Amidst the claustrophobic surrounding forest in a bleak landscape lies the decrepit Georgian manner at the centre of the film. It is all utilised to the fullest to instil a sense of isolation and growing tension between Éamon and Máire. There is also a sparseness in the production design within the house as each room contains the bare bones furniture with cracked walls with faded paint. It all ties together to enhance the oppressive feeling of the location.
The most noteworthy aspect of the film is Ross Power and John Farrelly's superb work as cinematographers. The use of natural lighting throughout the film adds to the bleak nature of the film throughout as the grey skies deliver a sense of foreboding. There is also a gothic flavour to the film in the scenes lit by candlelight, particularly during the dinner scenes between Éamon and Máire. One particular scene that works as a nice contrast to his great work at evoking horror in the film is one that may seem incidental. It involves Máire walking through the forest early in the morning with the sun splitting the trees. It is a beautiful moment that offers her an escape from the supernatural and real life horror that dwells in the house in what is a striking image of reprieve.
As for the supernatural elements of the film, there is a reliance on a lot of old tricks and cliches of the subgenre. There are the likes of the creepy puppet, doors opening and closing on their own and the warning to not go into a forbidden room being broken. Those aren't really a problem as they can be effective when used the right way but here there appears to be an overreliance on them that feels repetitive after a while. Having said that, there is a jump scare that involves Máire opening the wardrobe in her bedroom that delivers a jolt.
Whilst these elements aren't particularly effective, the emotional and psychological elements work a lot better as the film deals with a number of harrowing themes. In short this is a film about abuse and the manner in which it is dealt with in the film is disturbing but impactful in how it doesn't shy away from its approach to it. It is woven throughout the film starting from a place of subtlety escalating to full blown horror by the third act which is an assault on the senses that is something you don't usually get with ghost stories.
For all of the technical proficiency in the film this sense of real life horror is only achieved through the central performances of Tom Kerrisk and Livvy Hill. For what is essentially a two-hander (save for Anthony Murphy's notable appearance as the land steward) they do a great job at dealing with such weighty material and keep the audience engaged throughout. Hill's sense of innocence which is slowly stolen from her works well in contrast to the growing instability Kerrisk imbues with his character. The dissolution of their relationship through the visceral haunting of the figure known as Alexander leads to a number of powerful scenes of conflict. The main one that stands out is when Éamon destroys Máire's dollhouse and to his credit Farelly allows their acting to come to the fore in scenes like these by shooting it in a static shot.
For fans of ghost films 'An Taibhse' delivers nothing new in terms of its supernatural scares, it is a visceral beast that lies in wait before bursting forth in its violent conclusion. It deals with a lot of complex themes in a forthright manner that may be jolting to some but in terms of the acting, production design and cinematography there is a lot to admire about the film.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Joseph McElroy
'An Taibhse' received it's International Premiere at FrightFest '24 on August 23rd
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