In John Farrelly’s feature debut, An Taibhse, aka The Ghost, a father and daughter get more than expected when they begin working in an isolated country property. An Taibhse also happens to be one of the very first feature films to be entirely in the Irish language. Set during 1852, An Taibhse is full of Gothic charm, bumps in the night, and generational trauma, making it a perfect addition to this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest.
Although An Taibhse is Farrelly’s first venture into features, the young director already has a ton of accolades under his belt from his work in short films. His talent is put to excellent use in An Taibhse with him crafting several stand out sequences of dread and terror. The story joins Éamon (Tom Kerrisk) and his daughter Máire (Livvy Hill) as they become winter caretakers to an abandoned mansion. This setting is the perfect environment for Farrelly to unleash all kinds of heartstopping moments, and he does so with aplomb. As young Máire investigates her new home, she captures the attention of something dwelling within the property. Farrelly makes great use of silhouettes; the dim lighting casting shadows dance through the darkness, tricking the viewer’s eyes. An early scare involving a suddenly open door will get your heart rate going, and this is just the beginning.
Whilst initially father and daughter work well together, after father sustains an injury, it if left to Máire to shoulder the burden of work alone. If that wasn’t enough for the poor girl to endure, each night she is plagued by a nocturnal visitor who bangs and slams its way around the building. As she is slowly driven insane by its torment, she comes under threat from her increasingly more distrustful father. An Taibhse works by attacking poor Máire by these duel dangers. No matter where she turns, she finds herself in trouble, and both situations begin to wear her down. It is a lot of stress to place on any actor, but Livvy Hill gives an excellent turn, one that never pushes Máire into victimhood, but draws plenty of empathy from the viewer.
As Éamon, Kerrisk is given less focal time, but this is key in sowing mistrust towards his character. Although initially he seems lovely, in the aftermath of his injury, a mean streak starts to surface, which sees An Taibhse venture into dark territory not usually befitting of a haunted house story. It is this change-up to expectations that is An Taibhse’s biggest strength. Farrelly’s commitment to do something more than simple bumps in the night confronts the audience and makes them reassess everything that they have seen. The complexities of the story enrich the viewing experience, and when coupled with Farrelly’s masterful handling of scare sequences, ensure that the blood in the audience’s veins will be chilled to ice.
An Taibhse
Summary
A brilliant debut from Farrelly, An Taibhse is filled with well executed frights that are terrifying enough to haunt your dreams.
An Taibhse was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.
