Wake Wood (2009)

The parents of a girl who was killed by a savage dog are granted the opportunity to spend three days with their deceased daughter.

Director:

David Keating

Writers:

Brendan McCarthy (story), Brendan McCarthy (screenplay)

Stars:

Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Timothy Spall

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aidan Gillen	...	Patrick
Eva Birthistle	...	Louise
Timothy Spall	...	Arthur
Ella Connolly	...	Alice
Ruth McCabe	...	Peggy O'Shea
Brian Gleeson	...	Martin O'Shea (as Briain Gleeson)
Amelia Crowley	...	Mary Brogan
Dan Gordon	...	Mick O'Shea
Tommy McArdle	...	Tommy
John McArdle	...	Ben
Aoife Meagher	...	Deirdre
Siobhán O'Brien	...	Pharmacy Customer
Alice McCrea	...	Lady Customer
Johnny Fortune	...	Mechanic
John Hand	...	Arthur's Helper 1

Storyline

Still grieving the death of nine-year-old Alice - their only child - at the jaws of a crazed dog, vet Patrick and pharmacist Louise relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood where they learn of a pagan ritual that will allow them three more days with Alice. The couple find the idea disturbing and exciting in equal measure, but once they agree terms with Arthur, the village's leader, a far bigger question looms - what will they do when it's time for Alice to go back?

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Plot Keywords:

resurrection | supernatural power | psychotronic film | ritual | pagan | 

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Taglines:

Beware Those You Love the Most

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody violence including disturbing images, and brief sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Being a fan of the film Frostbite (2006), David Keating wished to work with the people behind the film, and he hired Chris Maris (the cinematographer on Frostbite) to shoot Wake Wood and Magnus Paulsson (Frostbite's producer) as co-producer.

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Goofs

Actor Brian Gleeson's name is misspelled in the credits as "Briain Gleeson".

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Arthur: [to a resurrected Alice] Back to the trees and into the woods
Arthur: [about a now possessed Alice] Don't look at her

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 24 March 2011 (2011)

User Reviews

The Damp, the Dreary and the Dark.

Following the unnecessary, yet excellent remake 'Let me In' Hammer returns with Wake Wood a supernatural chiller in which a child is brought back from the dead to comfort her parents for three days. But she's not quite the angelic child she was.

Eva Birthistle plays the grieving mother Louise and Twelve Rounds (2009) bad guy Adian Gillen is exceptional as the deceased child's father. Reliable Timothy Spall and the child actress are notable and the supporting cast are solid. 

There's some effective bloody gore, grizzly births, severed spines, dog attacks and killings. Some supernatural elements take place out of shot to avoid the use of CGI, which adds to the believability and saves the budget.

Wake Wood is dark, damp and dreary just as it should be. Nevertheless, it is slightly stifled by a filmed for TV look. That aside, with a small budget director David Keating keeps the blood flowing and the pace going.  It benefits from plausibility and atmosphere with an on location shoot. There's plenty of shadows, eerie music, sharp editing and a grounded screen-play (by Brendan McCarthy) to keep you watching with a grin that Hammer may have a place in this century.

With elements of  Don't Look Now, Case 39, Carrie, The Wicker Man and Pet Cemetery to name a few you could argue it's all be done before and better. However, Wake Wood's great ending debatably leaves you thinking sometimes less is more.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 2011 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Suma Budjenja

Filming Locations:

Övraby Studios, Tomelilla, Sweden

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,342

Company Credits

Production Co:

Exclusive Film Distribution, Hammer Films, Vertigo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1