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We proud Irish have been known to claim ownership of pretty much everything, especially U.S. Presidents. There is some strong evidence; however, that horror cinema might not have grown into the unstoppable force it is today if it were not for some Irish genes.
We can attribute this to Bram Stoker, that most influential of Gothic horror masters. Stoker was not a filmmaker himself, but the Dubliner’s most enduring creation, ‘Dracula’, helped kick-start a genre that remains as popular as ever, almost a century later.
It was not the first film to focus on the supernatural and the creepy, but F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film ‘Nosferatu’ was the one that firmly established much of the visual language of horror as we know it. However, Stoker’s iconic novel ‘Dracula’ inspired the Murnau classic-‘Nosferatu’ was effectively an unauthorised adaptation of Stoker’s book with a few narrative and name changes utilised to try and mask that fact.
Nosferatu, 1922. Photo: Flickr/FICG.mx
The effort was, alas, insufficient; the Stoker estate successfully fought to have all copies of the film destroyed. To the relief of all subsequent film enthusiasts, a rogue copy survived to inspire, amaze and creep out future generations of filmmakers and cinemagoers.
The Dracula influence didn’t end there. Horror’s iconic leading man Bela Lugosi made his name playing the vampiric Count, and went on to feature in some of the definitive Hollywood horror films (as well as a number of Ed Wood horror ‘classics’, but we won’t hold that against him). Christopher Lee, amazingly still active at 91 years of age, also made his name with a portrayal of Dracula. Lee became the de facto face of Hammer Horror, as well as lending his considerable presence to ‘The Wicker Man’ and other quintessential horrors.
It would be hyperbolic to suggest these great actors wouldn’t have made the impact they did without the assistance of Stoker’s novel, but certainly an Irishman’s creation provided some of the raw materials for their most timeless achievements.
On a more general level, Ireland’s relationship with horror has been tumultuous. Colin McCracken - writer, horror enthusiast and editor of Zombiehamster.com - points out that, “Many more genre movies get made here than are given coverage. But it saddens me when I see great Irish talent having to make their movies abroad, as they simply can’t acquire the support on home ground. We appear to have to make our mark elsewhere before we are taken seriously by our own peers.”
The Irish film industry bordered on non-existent for much of the 20th century, and it was up to international productions to portray the country. I don’t need to tell you such portrayals helped reaffirm pretty much every stereotype audience had of our country. Even today, when Hollywood opts to visit Ireland the results typically veer towards the ridiculous (‘Leap Year’, ‘P.S. I Love You’, and many more).
Nonetheless, somewhere along the line filmmakers started to recognise the potential of Ireland, and Irish folklore, for their scary movies. Future ‘Godfather’director Francis Ford Coppola was one of the first to do so, shooting a considerable percentage of cult 1963 horror ‘Dementia 13’ here. Incidentally, Coppola would later direct his own spin on the story that started it all with ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’in 1992.
We’re also culturally accountable for inspiring the infamous ‘Leprechaun’ series, even if, mercifully, Irish creatives have not been behind the films. The franchise has spawned six films so far, with another on the way for some godforsaken reason. The ‘highlights’ are undoubtedly the baffling ‘Leprechaun in the Hood’ and (I really wish I was making this up) its direct sequel ‘Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood’. They are every bit as ridiculous and racially insensitive as one could possibly expect. Sample quote from the dreaded Leprechaun himself, in the most absurd Oirish accent imaginable: “I’ll take it from ye, homie, because you know the Lep is the real O.G.” Come back Darby O’Gill, all is forgiven!
The Irish countryside also hosted the rather unconvincing rampage of a monster called ‘Rawhead Rex’ in a spectacularly cheesy Clive Barker adaptation of the same name. More recent co-productions such as ‘The Moth Diaries’ and ‘Botched’ were quickly relegated to obscurity.
In terms of horror from born-and-raised Irish directors, Neil Jordan has been responsible for several of the most successful efforts. His second feature was surreal fantasy-horror ‘The Company of Wolves’, while ‘Interview with the Vampire’ is the highest grossing film of his career so far. Other Jordan films like ‘In Dreams’, have also been heavily influenced by horror iconography.
Given his most recent film was vampire drama ‘Byzantium’, it is clear horror remains of great interest to the Oscar winner, even if his work in the area has often combined different genres with giddy abandon.
Jim Sheridan, meanwhile, has only once directly experimented with the horror genre: 2011’s ‘Dream House’. The results were, to put it mildly, disastrous. During production, Sheridan got involved in a heated dispute with the studio Morgan Creek, who took control of editing the film. The disagreement ultimately escalated to the point where Sheridan attempted to have his name officially removed from the credits and replaced by a fictional pseudonym (the infamous ‘Alan Smithee’ credit, once reserved for such circumstances, has alas been retired).
The name removal did not go ahead, but after seeing the final cut of the film, Sheridan - along with stars Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz - refused to continue promoting the film. Dream House ultimately died a rather miserable commercial and critical death.
In terms of our lesser known filmmakers, Ireland has struggled to make an impact in the vibrant low-budget horror scene. Sometimes that’s with good cause. There’s the brilliantly titled ‘Legend of the Bog’, for example. It’s written and directed by Northern Irish Brendan Foley and released on DVD here with the much blander name ‘Assault of Darkness’. It features Vinnie Jones - alongside homegrown talent including Amy Huberman and Nora-Jane Noone - facing off against an ancient bogman; an idea which really should never have developed beyond the throwaway joke it clearly originated as.
Paddy Breathnach’s hallucinatory ‘Shrooms’, meanwhile, suffered an intense critical roasting. ‘Isolation’ made a valiant if surprisingly serious attempt at creating a mutant-cow film; rarely has such a ludicrous idea been treated so earnestly and passionately, but it ultimately struggled to connect even with an enthusiast audience.
It’s with a palpable sigh of relief, however, that we can say things are looking up for the domestic horror scene. The recent likes of ‘Citadel’ and ‘Wake Wood’ have been warmly received by many critics and genre fans, their respective Irish directors capable of delivering genuinely eerie atmospheres and genre thrills without completely surrendering characterisation and thematic depth.
We also have a relatively solid track record when it comes to comedy-horror, culminating in last year’s genuinely enjoyable ‘Grabbers’ (the one about monsters that are allergic to alcohol). That film went on to enjoy a solid box office performance, healthy international distribution, and a generally positive response from audiences and critics alike.
McCracken agrees, “There are some fabulous Irish-led genre films out there; Conor McPherson’s ‘The Eclipse’, for example is one of the best ghost stories of recent years. There is a future for Irish horror, but we need to embrace, support and nurture it from the ground up.” He cites the likes of McPherson, Jason Figgis (director of the upcoming ‘Railway Children’ - not the classic Edith Nesbit story) and ‘Citadel' director Ciaran Foy as encouraging horror filmmakers, but also stresses the need for enthusiast support through events like the IFI’s annual Horrorthon and Cork’s Twisted Celluloid festival. McCracken concludes, “There is a propensity within cineastes [cinema enthusiasts] to overlook genre cinema, viewing it as a lesser art form, but thankfully this is an attitude which is changing.”
Whether Ireland will ever again make as significant an impact in the world of horror cinema as Bram Stoker managed is uncertain. But, as is the case with all good scary movies, we should always expect the unexpected.
This article originally appeared in Newstalk Magazine for iPad in October. For more details go here.
