If there’s one thing we’re all lacking its time. As the father and the lead behind two online publications I barely have enough time to catch the latest feature-length films and television shows, so when I see the annual lists of horror films to watch for the various holidays I’m always at a loss for what to watch. So this time I’ve decided to put a different kind of list together. I’ve decided to put together a list of Irish horror short films that you can watch in just a few minutes over the course of the next few weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. They’re just enough horror, just enough Irish, and just long enough to get you in a spooky Irish mood without taking up too much of your time.
The Faeries of Blackheath Woods
When a young girl finds herself enchanted by Faeries, she finds her self deep within Blackheath Woods and quickly learns that Faeries aren’t as friendly as they seem.
Maisie
This film has a twist, gore, a creepy animal mask like the ones in You’re Next, a creepy doll and a creepy kid. What more could you ask for in a three and a half minute short?
Tríd An Stoirm (Through the Storm)
I actually saw this animated short a few years back, but was reconnected with it while doing my research for this post. Tríd An Stoirm, which translated from Gaelic means “Through the Storm” is an animated short that tells the story of a young woman trying to bring her drowned husband back from the dead, but to do so, she must face a Banshee and journey into the Otherworld.
FOXES
A young couple trapped in a remote estate of empty houses and shrieking foxes are beckoned from their isolation into a twilight world. A world of the paranormal or perhaps insanity. While most horror is NSFW, this one definitely isn’t going to be one you’ll want to stream at the office on the account of plenty of near-nudity in a few scenes.
The Gloaming
In Gaelic with English subtitles, The Gloaming takes place in Ireland in 1849 in the midst of The Great Famine. As a church bell tolls and the gloaming descends, a father and son working the land are forced to confront an ancient evil.
Keening
A young woman recalls the last time she saw her boyfriend, while a dark entity causes the past and present to collide. What I found interesting about this film is that in it the woman picks up a comb she finds, which in Irish folklore you don’t do because it may belong to a Banshee. Because of this it left me wondering if the dark entity was a Banshee or something else. You watch and you decide.
Thief
Usually, it’s just my wife that steals the blankets, but in this short, it’s definitely not the guy’s wife…
Looking for some feature-length Irish horror? Check out this list from The Spooky Vegan, or this video from The Gothic Alice.
