One of my most anticipated films at Overlook Film Festival 2025 was the Irish folk horror film, Frewaka. This is the sophomore feature film for writer and director Aislinn Clarke (The Devil’s Doorway). The film follows an in-home care worker who gets an assignment caring for an elderly woman in the secluded Irish countryside. The longer she’s there, the more she realizes the patient’s ravings might be all too real.

From the moment Frewaka begins, Clarke establishes a twisted narrative with a dark fairy tale feel. This is reinforced by Clarke’s decision to have much of the dialogue spoken in Irish Gaelic. The protagonist, Shoo, is dealing with the suicide of her estranged mother. In the middle of sorting out her affairs, Shoo is assigned a job caring for an elderly shut-in who has become mostly wheelchair bound. It’s not an easy job, the elderly woman not trusting Shoo and constantly doing or saying bizarre things. The longer Shoo spends in the house with this woman, the more she realizes there might be some truth behind the madness. What’s worse, an evil presence seems to be dying to get in. There are many threads in Frewaka, yet they all weave together beautifully, creating a complete picture of generational trauma, Faustian deals, and Irish folklore. It’s a mystery that draws the audience in with edge-of-your-seat suspense and some truly horrifying moments of terror. Clarke clearly has a knack for creating complex narratives with an intriguing mythos that is familiar yet unique.

Frewaka features two brilliant performances. The first is Clare Monnelly (The Gone, Small Things Like These) as Shoo. Shoo is a complicated woman, doing her best to care for others even as she’s haunted by her childhood trauma. Monnelly is astounding, giving a complex performance that shows the outward persona the character presents at war with her internal struggles. Bríd Ní Neachtain (The Banshees of Inisherin, Advent) plays Peig, the agoraphobic woman Shoo cares for. Peig has been secluded in her home for years, making her wary of others. Neachtain is astounding in this role, especially in how she is able to easily switch between moments of lucidity and delirium. The often contentious banter between these two helps bring the characters to life and grounds the story amidst the supernatural elements.

There is an array of gorgeous, nightmarish imagery throughout Frewaka. While the nature of the evil entities is explored, they are never fully shown. Instead, they are often disguised as other people. Because of this, most of the imagery relies on subtlety. There is religious iconography and items from local legend shown in almost every scene, displaying the ways the old and new world try to keep evil at bay. It allows for much to be left to the viewers imagination while still delivering frightful sights. The cinematography, production design, and costume design all help to create a film that is as beautiful as it is compelling.

Frewaka unravels a deadly generational mystery at the heart of a stunning work of Irish folk horror. Clarke clearly has a brilliant mind for horror, one that genre fans are sure to want to see much more of. It might be a bit of a slow burn, but the seeds are planted early on for a quick building of suspense, leading to a dramatic conclusion. With eye-catching visuals and absolutely phenomenal performances from Monnelly and Neachtain, audiences will no doubt be ensnared by the otherworldly mythos. If you missed the film at the Overlook Film Festival, be sure to catch Frewaka streaming exclusively on Shudder beginning April 25th.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10