Fréwaka

"Frewaka" immediately caught my attention because of its unusual name and interesting-looking poster. I expected something like a low-budget, Midsommar-like movie with Irish folklore sprinkled in, but unfortunately, that is not quite what I got.

We follow Shoo (Clare Monnelly), a care worker who is sent to a remote village in Ireland to look after an agoraphobic older woman. Soon, strange things begin to happen, and she finds herself the target of a sinister folkloric entity.

The movie is definitely a slow burner and really takes its time to tell the story. It is not particularly scary and relies more on atmosphere than on cheap jump scares, which is generally a positive choice. The film features some great cinematography, and the acting is solid overall, making this a technically competent production with some strengths.

Unfortunately, the overall themes have been done many times before in very similar ways. There are already a lot of movies like this, and Frewaka does little to stand out. Aside from the red door and a few costume designs, there is not much visual distinction, and the story does not offer much for the audience to connect with. It leans heavily on familiar genre tropes and stereotypical scenes, which further reduces its impact. I would have loved to see more about the Irish folklore but the movie sadly does not provide many answers or insights at all.

For fans of slow-burn horror, this folk horror film might offer some enjoyable moments. However, Frewaka ultimately lacks the originality and memorability to impress a more seasoned audience. [4.2/10]

Frewaka is a slow, slow burner with a very cool premise involving Irish folklore. The camerawork, framing, and music/sound create an extremely atmospheric movie that isn't afraid to take its time. Realistically, it probably should have shown /a little/ restraint in this aspect. While I liked this at first, I felt myself growing impatient by the end. I appreciated the absence of jump scares, which are always cheap.

The plot progression is another story. While individual scenes are constructed well, they don't feel properly connected. As if things were left out or cut, causing what's there to feel oddly disconnected. It also feels like it should be explaining things more/better. It's not like there's a veil of mystery, it's more like a character will talk about something without explaining what it is in the first place. There were more than a few times that I wasn't sure what someone was talking about and rewound to make sure I didn't miss something. I suspect this movie was written with the assumption that the viewer has pre-existing knowledge of some specific Irish folklore. And if you don't have that familiarity, it creates a feeling like they're forgetting to explain things. Or maybe it's just bad writing. I honestly have no idea, but I overall enjoyed the movie either way.

Director Aislinn Clarke offers a interesting Irish horror folklore with some interesting sophisticated horror choices on the direction, writing and atmosphere throughout. Irish horror folklore isn't discussed much and it's interesting to see how filmmakers are approaching the atmosphere and tone when it comes to Irish folklore.

Placed with beautiful camerawork and sound designs, the atmosphere and setting does apply a good strong presence of the creepy vibe and feel to it. Alongside with a great musical score and a good strong lead performance from Claire Monnelly. Clarke understands the haunting and creepy environment to allow the viewers to get drawn in, and establishing what is happening to make it go under your skin.

Now I do appreciate the new concept of the horror that explores. However, I won't call it masterful since some of the writing could be improved, especially when it came to the familiar structure and character engagement as the characters didn't feel really that interesting nor connectable. And with the concept, it does feel like a concept that has been done a bit too many times.

Overall, it's a solid horror folklore tale.

Fréwaka: Bleak Irish Folk Horror involving Fairy abductions, these Fairies however are very much of the Pagan variety and the film has a touch of The Wicker Man about it. In a prologue set in 1973, Mummers wearing straw masks crash Peig's wedding, they bring a goat with .them. Peig goes outside and disappears, her husband Daithi just sees a goat. Dearg Doom by Horslips is playing in the background. 99% of the dialogue in this film is as Gaeilge (in Irish). The present day, we see a woman commit suicide, to be found weeks later. Her estranged daughter Shoo turns up with her pregnant partner Mila, to clear out the apartment. Shoo is called away to care for a now invalid and isolated Peig, locals are reluctant to visit or deliver goods to her. Shoo has to force entry and finds the house filled with metal objects, salt and urine to keep the Fairies out. The cellar door has a horseshoe and other iron pieces attached. Peig believes that she was taken by the Fairies to another house underneath her own and Daithi made a deal to get her back and then committed suicide. Most of the locals are standoffish but one tells Shoo that Peig was in an asylum or Magdalene Laundry. The house itself is a character. A minor stately home, although its furnishings e.g. Stuffed animals would be more typical if those from an ascendency background, neither Peig or Daithi seem o fit that mould. It is large and rambing with the ever present cellar door providing both an attraction and a danger. A visitor might be a Fairy, at least Peig thinks so. Most of the horror here is psychological, it is suggested rather than shown except when Peig and Shoo reveal their scars (both physical and mental) to each other. There are some violent scenes though. Shoo's relationship with Mila also becomes strained. There is a question about how much that Shoo observes is real and we have reason to question it. Goats are a constant motif as is a strange boy, along with Catholic religious imagery and statuettes.. All of the threads eventually tie together suggesting to me at least that there is an occult explanation for the events. As well as Horslips, Die Hexen provides a haunting score. I thought Horslips' version of King of the Fairies would have fitted better than Dearg Doom but everyone's a critic these days. Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke. 8/10.

The mood was set: dreary skies, some new black metal releases (Kommodus, Blood Abscission, Flaming Ouroboros, Blutschwur) providing the soundtrack to a gnawing craving for something dark and unsettling. Fréwaka slid right into that space like a cold blade, and yeah, it was a good call - it delivered.

Aislinn Clarke's the real deal, right? "The Devil's Doorway" was a decent found-footage attempt with its take on the Magdalen Laundries. I was hyped for "Fréwaka," and honestly, she's one-upped herself. This one hits harder than that feature film. Again, she's back with something even heavier-digging into buried history and the wounded past like it's cursed ground that still feels raw.

The two leads, Catherine Monnelly and Bríd Ní Neachtain, are quietly phenomenal, playing women tangled in their own trauma, stuck in this eerie, ancient-feeling Irish village. The film's steeped in something ancient, almost primal energy right from the start. Even the OG Irish title, Fréamhacha ("roots"), gives a nod to a story that feels like something old creeping into the present. The story mainly follows Shoo (Monnelly), a palliative nurse, who arrives to care for Peig (Ní Neachtain), who's battling agoraphobia and dementia. And to push the narrative, we have this mix of pagan dread and Christian imagery which doesn't scream or feel preachy; it's just there. They seep together, superstition bleeding into the mundane. I loved the gender dynamics here - men as the creepy ritualists, women as the leads? Yeah, that hits different.

Now, Fréwaka isn't flawless; that doesn't mean it's bad, though. It succeeds with its horror tropes popping up, playing with the usual suspects (that red door, the horseshoe, the Virgin Mary statue glowing like something's very wrong-those shots stuck with me). I even thought of some shots from "Litan (1982)" and "The Other Side of the Underneath (1972)" - check out my reviews if you haven't seen 'em. Also, The Wicker Man parallels are obvious, and yeah, there's some A24 flavor in the slow, atmospheric dread (plus, that goat in full regalia staring into your soul and at our lady).

It wasn't as bloody and gory as I expected, but it was intriguing and kept me hooked. Just wish the ending hadn't felt so rushed, and the credits sequence felt kinda tacked on. Even the soundtrack, which was mostly good, could've gone darker, weirder with some more experimental touches instead of playing it safe.

In closing, Clarke's sticking to her themes from her first film, carving out her own lane in folklore horror, digging into the same raw, historical wounds as before, and doing what it sets out to do. She's for sure an important voice in horror right now. I'd say genre fans should definitely check this one out. Also, I'd recommend you check out The Devil's Bath (2024) - might make for a good double bill. Despite a few little stumbles in both, they'll probably do it for you.