Every year when the St. Patrick’s Day horror lists roll around, I get irrationally angry to see flicks like The Hallow (which I love, but which was directed by a Brit, Corin Hardy) and A Dark Song (which I don’t love, and which is 100 percent British, right down to how it gussies the Bray DART station up as a commuter station in rural England) on there. The truth is, of course, that there aren’t really that many Irish horror movies to choose from. And, of what there is out there, most of them suck. Hence why I was so relieved, last August at Frightfest, to catch The Perished, from Limerick-based director Paddy Murphy. So Irish it’s about abortion (a contentious topic over here, to say the least) but loaded with suspense, intrigue, and some seriously crunchy practical FX, the movie manages to be timely and scary. I imagine it’s going to piss off a lot of hardcore conservatives when it finally drops in the US and, as it turns out, we don’t have to wait much longer to find out.
The Perished is NOW available to pre-order on iTunes (PRE-ORDER THE PERISHED HERE) ahead of its April 7 release, digitally, across North America. The movie has been compared to Hellraiser, and fan fave director Joe Lynch described it as, “Like if Ken Loach remade Don’t Look Now” (high praise indeed). I adored it, writing, “This is an impressively dark tale rooted in real-life horrors with the full, unashamed courage of its convictions that will appeal to genre fans and liberal activists alike — no mean feat” in my gushing review out of Frightfest 2019.
Related: The Perished [Frightfest 2019 Review]
The premise is devilishly simple: “While recovering from an abortion, a young woman is tormented by the spirits of the unborn…who seek a mother.” If you’re still not convinced that this is a quarantine must-watch (or really just a must-watch all year round), there are three super-creepy clips to check out below:
You can also check out the trailer (and that gorgeously evocative poster) here:
The Perished was written and directed by Murphy, who also produced alongside Barry Fahy and Vachn Gill. It stars Courtney McKeon (The Three Don’ts), Fiach Kunz (Game of Thrones), Paul Fitzgerald (The Sleep Experiment), and Lisa Tyrrell (Urban Traffik). It’s well worth a watch, particularly since we’re all stuck indoors (much of the action takes place in a cramped house).
Stay tuned to Wicked Horror for more must-watch digital horror releases as this situation drags on.
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