The Daisy Chain (2008)

A grieving couple move to a remote Irish village in the wake of their baby daughter's death. They soon take in an orphaned autistic girl, only to become involved in a series of strange occurrences.

Director:

Aisling Walsh

Writer:

Lauren Mackenzie

Stars:

Samantha Morton, Steven Mackintosh, Mhairi Anderson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samantha Morton	...	Martha Conroy
Steven Mackintosh	...	Tomas Conroy
Mhairi Anderson	...	Daisy Gahan
David Bradley	...	Sean Cryan
Eva Birthistle	...	Cat
Brendan McCormack	...	Shay
Zoe Sheridan	...	Eva
Flora Montgomery	...	Orla Gannon
Orlaith Macqueen	...	Lucy Gannon (as Orlaith McQueen)
Ron Donachie	...	Doctor Ferguson
Valerie O'Connor	...	Jenny Gahan
Patrick Moy	...	Jim Gahan
Barry Barnes	...	Sergeant Riley
Maire Hastings	...	Trish Carter
Gary Murphy	...	Matt Brennan

Storyline

Martha, an emotionally fragile mother, who moves to a remote Irish village with her husband Tomas following the tragic death of their baby daughter. Whilst there, the couple decide to take in a disturbed and orphaned autistic girl called Daisy. Uncommunicative and greatly scarred by the violent death of her parents, Daisy gradually warms to her new surroundings. But, as a series of strange occurrences begin to be linked to the little girl, Martha and Tomas begin to hear rumors from the locals that Daisy might be something far more malevolent than she seems.

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Plot Keywords:

police | drowning | hospital | car crash | evil child | 

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Taglines:

She just wants to play.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and disturbing content,

Details

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 2010 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Blick des Bösen - Sie will nur spielen

Filming Locations:

Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

ContentFilm International, Wales Creative IP Fund, Limelight Communication

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Mediocre horror with beautiful cinematography.

Female directors are too rare, particularly those willing to approach the horror genre. Walsh uses the beautiful Western Irish coast to create a bleak atmosphere of isolation and vulnerability. The plot is somewhat obvious, a young couple move away from the bright lights of London to raise a family, the wife is pregnant, and the husband has inherited his childhood home in Ireland, but the neighbour's child Daisy is suspected of being a fairy changeling, born in a fairy ring on Halloween. The Neighbour's son is killed under mysterious circumstances and the parents are soon to follow, the child is then adopted by the London couple, the motivation for this aspect of the plot is addressed but remains unconvincing. The superstitious locals become increasingly scared of young Daisy. The film lacks originality but has some redeeming qualities, the child actress Mhairi Anderson who plays Daisy is remarkable, providing a genuinely disturbing performance, the cinematography and score combine to give the film a unique character that is tense and compelling. The theme of fairies and the supernatural remains unaddressed which is frustrating, it is never made clear whether the girl suffers from autism, is very disturbed or is really a fairy changeling, a question left unanswered deliberately by the director, but in a clumsy way, that doesn't encourage the audience to feel sympathy for the girl, who is properly identified neither as victim nor as aggressor. Despite the flaws The Daisy Chain, a combination of Straw Dogs and the Wicker Man, is a beautiful and at times moving addition to the horror genre.