An Taibhse – FrightFest 2024 Movie Review
Director: John Farrelly
Writer: John Farrelly (Screenplay)
Cast
- Tom Kerrisk (A Hollow Tree)
- Livvy Hill (The Lost Jedi)
- Anthony Murphy (The Sleep Experiment)
Plot: 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.
Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: An Taibhse starts when Éamon (Kerrisk) and his daughter Máire (Hill) become the caretakers of an isolated mansion. The pair moves in and starts the daily routine of maintaining the mansion as they deal with each other’s company. However, Máire starts seeing and hearing noises around the mansion.
Máire finds the nights the most difficult, as the visits become more frequent, and she finds herself living in terror. However, she has nowhere to go as she searches for help from the nightly incidents. Meanwhile, her father struggles after suffering an injury working, leaving Máire to do most of the work around the home.
Verdict on An Taibhse
An Taibhse is a horror mystery following a father and daughter dealing with hauntings while becoming caretakers at an isolated mansion. Máire suffers the worst nightmares as she experiences the worst of a spirit, while her father spirals into alcoholism.
This movie is shot entirely in the Irish language and translates to ‘The Ghost’. The best way to describe it would be like ‘The Shining’ from a different era. It uses the caretaker role in an isolated mansion to show the horrific experiences the residents suffer through. Máire clearly goes through the worst and Livvy Hill is brilliant at showing this horror. It leaves us disturbed and shocked because of the unsettling series of events which unfold.
Final Thoughts – An Taibhse is disturbing, horrific and unsettling.