Dear shadowy reader,
We’re in the last week before Halloween, so across Ireland the shops and streets are bedecked in skeletons, ghosts, and ghouls, and from my perspective it is a cheery sight!
I didn’t realise it until I returned from the glare of Sitges that I had missed the festive trappings of Halloween. In Sitges, the focus was on promoting the film festival, so there was an entire ‘merchandise mile’ of stalls along the beach front selling unique t-shirts, mugs, jewellery, socks, towels, badges, etc. with your favourite fantastic film (or anime) themes. Yet, it’s hard for me to think of Halloween in sweltering temperatures with giant palm trees and cacti studded everywhere.
I was out walking this week in misty conditions, under trees dripping with rusting leaves, and inhaled the chill mingled with wet mulch and a tinge of smoke from a peat fire in a nearby house. The weather in Ireland currently can be a dolorous wet note, especially if you focus on the downpours, but it also serves up moody scenes if you have a Gothic sensibility. (Those who long for sun and blue skies can find this land a bit of a chore.)
Hallowe’en (Hallow’s evening) comes from the old Irish festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-win). As mentioned in my first Substack newsletter, it’s thought that pre-Christian Irish people celebrated the sunset as the start of the day. Samhain was probably oriented around the closest dark moon at this time, rather than the hard calendar date of October 31st. It was also our ‘New Year’, since just as they saw the approach of the dark as the beginning, so Samhain heralded the seasonal New Year.
Samhain is in-between the equinox and the solstice, and marks the time of the harvest and slaughtering of animals for the winter. It signalled a slowing down of certain agrarian tasks, and from what we can tell, it was a big festival in Ireland. Back in those days, who knew what tribulations winter might bring? It was a time of feasting, storytelling and remembering those who had passed away.
Ireland has one of the largest collections of Megalithic stone tombs and circles in Europe, with some dating back 6,000 years, and many of them aligned to astronomical events. Our ancestors were very attuned to the cycles of the earth and the sky. Tradition (as related in our earliest written sources) reports that the first giant bonfire of Samhain was lit at sunset at the ringfort site of Tlachtga in Co. Meath, which is named after a famous female druid who died there giving birth to triplets (like many stories in Ireland, this is a tragic tale). Tlachtga is a mere 12 miles from Tara, which was the tribal power centre of the country. The flames at Tlachtga would have been visible from Tara’s elevated location and the waiting throng would have lit its bonfire in response — thus the bonfires spread around the country, as did the merry-making.
In an era without electricity, when the pulse of the land became muted, Samhain was the last hurrah before the winter hunkering down. No wonder it was celebrated with reverence. It was a liminal period, the time for introspection and consideration of last year’s progress, and the start of plans for the next cycle. For an animistic people who believed in a fecund world alive with potential, it was when you watched for omens from the otherworld, thought to exist pressed up against our human world, and porous at this time of the year. Not all apparitions were welcome, and while the people had their games and fun, they also set aside a share of libations and gifts for the spiritual onlookers, in case any of them felt jealous or neglected, or worse, had malign intent…
In recognition of the season I’m going to suggest a number of creepy films and TV series that you might enjoy at this time of the year. In order to narrow down my selection I’m pointing to material that I think is different and/or innovative that demonstrates what can be achieved on a smaller budget. I’ve been watching a lot of screen stories suffering from bloat (both films and TV), and I long for the day when lean and effective storytelling was the cinematic aim. Sourcing funding is a constant battle for filmmakers so it’s in their favour to enrich the cheapest part of the production: which is usually the story.
Hellbender (2021) was released in 2021 and shot during the era of COVID, by a remarkable family: husband and wife duo, John Adams and Toby Poser, and their two children Lulu and Zelda Adams.1 The film centres on the relationship between Mother (Poser) and teenager Izzy (Zelda Adams) who live in a remote location in the Catskills in the USA, and spend most of their time composing and playing music in their punk band and wandering the woods. Izzy believes she has a rare illness that means she must avoid other people, but this all comes into question when she encounters another teenaged girl.
The opening sequence of the film depicts a puritan-era witch hanging that indicates that witchcraft is involved, and this is revealed as the story progresses — and it is a genuinely novel mythology. What few special effects are used are done well and fit the nature of the film. This is a slow burn coming-of-age story with compelling performances from the two main actors who must carry the entire film. If you want to watch this film then you can catch it on the streaming platform, Shudder.
I’m also happy with the serendipity of mentioning Hellbender because last week I completely forgot to highlight this collective’s recent film, which I also saw at Sitges: Where the Devil Roams (2023).
John and Zelda Adams and Toby Poser return as the co-writers and directors, and their characters form a little family unit, partly attached to a Carnival in Depression-era America. Each of them has problems (PTSD; selective mutism; psychopathy) but together they work as a loving, supportive family. Circumstances can easily affect this delicate balance, and over time they destabilise under the influence of poverty and magic.
It’s not as successful as Hellbender in achieving its ambitions, but it is a beautiful mismatched jigsaw, packed with talented actors. There are a number of arresting moments in the film and I admire the family’s dedication to their different narratives. In particular I think that Poser is a powerhouse of an actor, utterly believable in every scene, even when playing a criminally disturbed person. I am unsurprised to discover she has a theatre background.
I would prefer to watch Where the Devil Roams than most of the latest glossy over produced, formulaic dramas.
At Sitges I spotted Adams and Poser at breakfast and I made the decision to stop by their table and tell them how much I admired their work. They were utterly gracious about the interruption, and we chatted for a few minutes. I don’t do this often, but I also think you should take the opportunity to let creators know how much you enjoy their work. It can mean great deal to them. Of course if I’d got the hint I should just ‘thank and walk’ I would have done so. There’s a difference between a quick conversation and monopolising their attention. Most people have limited time and capacity at festivals.
I noticed Poser in a small scene in the latest Mike Flanagan TV opus, The Fall of the House of Usher, which he created inspired by numerous works by Edgar Allen Poe, and now available on Netflix. The series contains some cracking ideas but for my tastes it’s too long and not scary. All the actors inhabit their roles with conviction, but in particular Carla Gugino as the mysterious Verna and Bruce Greenwood as Roderick Usher are noteworthy.
One of the key elements in a Gothic text about a cursed family is its faded legacy and unhealthy longevity. The Ushers in this story are a one-generation brand, populated by shallow, noxious and bickering siblings, so after a time you are waiting for the inevitable and hoping it would come sooner. I’m more forgiving of a show that is less polished but more innovative, and I could do without the tiresome polemics.2 Yet, the character I continually enjoyed was the most ruthless: Madeline Usher, played with great verve by Mary McDonnell and Willa Fitzgerald as the older and younger versions of the ambitious genius. I suspect it’s because her motives were clear and understandable, even if you didn’t agree with them. Her drive to ‘change the world’ was compelling, even as it was demonstrated she had done much to make it worse.
A much better watch is the completely ignored gem Brand New Cherry Flavor, an eight-episode series on Netflix. It pains me that so many people I recommend this to have never heard of it!
I was lucky to notice it when it dropped on Netflix in August 2021, before it vanished from all recommendation lists. If you weren’t intrigued by it in that one-week period of grace, you would never know it existed.
The topic of discoverability and how streamers simply drop material off their platforms came up a lot during our conservations at Sitges. It is the disheartening, pernicious aspect of creating any artform: you survive all the obstacles to produce the work and get it out, yet to watch it sink in the maelstrom of competing offerings.
Brand New Cherry Flavor was created by Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion (who were heavily involved in writing most of the episodes), and is based on the novel of the same name by Todd Grimson — a book that is out of print and only available second-hand.
This is essential viewing if you enjoy deeply weird and unsettling horror with an occult vibe — my favourite niche. It’s a colour-soaked vivisection of Hollywood's underbelly in the 1990s.
It has outstanding, magnetic performances by Rosa Salazar as the ambitious filmmaker Lisa Nova who has been swindled by a film producer, Lou Burke, and Catherine Keener as Boro/Jennifer Nathans, the magician who promises Lisa her scorched-earth retribution. Even the villain producer, played by Eric Lange, is both awful and pathetic.
As this tale of obsession and desire weaves its spell, the older, intertwined stories about Lisa and Boro come to light, and it ends with a strange epiphany. I hope some of you will seek this out and enjoy it as much as I did.
And, let’s throw in an oldie, since I referenced this movie recently in a conversation and it’s one I love. If you want to make spooky stories for the screen, then you must watch the black and white masterpiece, The Night of the Hunter (1955). It’s a thriller without any supernatural element, but its tone and style is pure horror.
It was directed by Charles Laughton from a screenplay by James Agee based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Davis Grubb, which was in turn inspired by the true story of Harry Powers, who was hanged in 1932 for the murders of two widows and three children in West Virginia. Long before the term ‘serial killer’ entered our parlance. Laughton worked hard with the director of photography, Stanley Cortez, who shot Orson Welles' 1942 film The Magnificent Ambersons, to realise his vision for the film — including shooting it in black and white, which was not the studio’s preference.
The story revolves around self-anointed ‘preacher’ Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), who learns a secret from Ben Harper, a cell mate in prison, that his two children (John and Pearl) are the only people who know where Harper hid the $10,000 he stole in a bank robbery. After Harper is hanged, Powell leaves prison with a mission to track down the widow and ingratiate himself with her and her children.
Over time, Powell wins over Willa Harper (Shelley Winters), marries her, and attempts to get the hiding place out of the children. John (Billy Chapin) never falls for Powell’s act, but his sister Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) is easier to manipulate. Eventually, Powell’s patience runs out and violence brews.
Not only is this a magnificent cast, with Lilian Gish turning up later as Rachel Cooper, a kind-hearted gun-toting woman who watches over the children during a tense stand-off, but it is exquisitely shot, and uses an expressionist style of cinema that was popular in the 1930s, when the events take place.
There are many scenes that stay with you after watching the movie, but most haunting is the sunken Model T Ford car in the river, with its poignant final passenger.
I hope you enjoy it! I now want to watch it again.
And a breaking addition to this newsletter — on my last night at Sitges I met Statten Roeg and Sunita Soliar who have co-written and co-directed a short film called Spoor. (Trailer here.)
Much to my surprise Sunita told me she had a long fascination with Irish revolutionary Robert Emmet! This was an unexpected association with Ireland so we got chatting about film. After the festival Sunita and Satten were kind enough to share their short film with me. Here’s the trailer:
In the film Ellora Torchia plays Ash, a daughter caring for her difficult and dying mother (Mariam Bassa). Ash has a strange growth in her shoulder and attempts to care for her mother under the watchful gaze of an icon of the Hindu Goddess, Kali (who essentially represents liberation). As her mother’s health deteriorates Ash’s growth increases and spews a strange material.
In a short space of time the filmmakers have made an arresting story about body horror and the complexities of internalised (and conflicting) cultural narratives.
I was delighted to hear that Spoor won Best International Narrative Short at the Kerry International Film Festival in Ireland this weekend. Congratulations to the team. I look forward to seeing their next project!
And a final reminder that I’m taking part in ‘The influence of Irish Folklore on Horror and Fantasy film’ panel discussion at the Ennis International Fantastic Film Festival on Saturday, 28 October at 11:00. Jack Fennell (writer and researcher) will be moderating me, film producer John McDonnell, Gothic author Tracy Fahey, and film director Stephen Hall.
Tickets are €12 for the event, and can be purchased via Eventbrite.
Wishing you a suspenseful week!
They own their own production company, Wonder Wheel Productions, and John, Toby and Zelda are credited as co-writers and directors.
There’s not a whole lot of halloween spirit where I am. There are just a few houses with some decorations. People don’t seem to be into it. While I love halloween and gothic decor and architecture (and my wardrobe is 90% black) I do not like horror and gore. Not a fan of serial killing, torture, and possession so I likely will will never see any if these movies. I’m more of a “Hubie Halloween” and “Hocus Pocus” PG-13 type. Lol But I will say Ireland sounds dreamy...rain, fog, and all it’s mystery. I haven’t seen fog in a very long time.