Latest Irish language horror film to hit cinema screens this month

Sarah Slater

The latest Irish language horror film is to hit cinema screens on March 28th.

An Taibhse or The Ghost is set in 1852, and follows Éamon played by Tom Kerrisk and his daughter Máire starring Livvy Hill as they take on a seemingly peaceful job as caretakers of a remote Georgian mansion during the harsh winter months.

However, their quiet retreat quickly descends into a nightmare when a malevolent force awakens within the mansion’s ancient walls. Every creaking floorboard and flickering candle only adds to the mounting suspense as the characters’ sanity begins to unravel.

The film is directed by John Farrelly and produced by six-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan and is steeped in the dark history of Ireland's post-famine era.

At the age of 17, Farrelly was named Ireland's Best Young Filmmaker for his short film Choice. Throughout his later school years and college, he went on to direct the award-winning feature film The Sleep Experiment and the Irish language short Difriúil.

Tom Kerrisk is an award-winning Irish actor, musician, and film producer who won the Best Actor Award at HORRORFEST in South Africa for his role as Eamon in An Taibhse. He previously won best Actor at the LA Horror Film Festival in 2022 for his performance as Christopher Sampson in The Sleep Experiment.

Livvy Hill is an Irish actress hailing from Belfast. She studied Cinematic Arts at Ulster University in Derry and has worked in numerous films, including starring in the Star Wars short film The Lost Jedi and the award-winning short DEBT.

It is the latest Irish horror film to be made, after Fréamhacha.

Fréamhacha, written and directed by Aisling Clarke was released last year and was funded through the Cine4 scheme by TG4, Fís Éireann and Coimisiúin na Meáin.