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?

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Beware Those You Love the Most

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

---

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.

---

Goofs

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

---

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

---

Connections

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

User Reviews

An interesting find!

Love these tucked away films that you chance upon. Nice, neat, right running time, little shocker.

Its the premise thats of interest here and fascinating. A youngish couple losing their only child (and she says she cant have any more)and then given the chance to have her back, as she was, but for only three days. Given the emotional turmoil involved, and the couples position (a split is also on the cards), how many couples would go along with this. I suspect quite a few.

This also comes along with i) not everyone playing by the rules i.e. lying (how long girl was dead) and ii) it comes at a price! The viewer knows this, he's watched a lot of horror films.

Like the Irish feel, the ancient ways handed down in a localised village, the underlying creepy atmosphere, then again balanced by the modern i.e. the wind machines at the boundaries of the village.

Nice touch with the life cycle, from death comes rebirth; the mixture of births e.g the dead rebirths, cesarean of the cows, and even Alice pulls her doll through a rubbish bag.

Maybe Brendan Gleason ought to have played the squire, Timothy Spalls accent was a bit suspect.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 2011 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Wake Wood

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