As the Home of Halloween, Ireland’s tradition of Samhain is the festival to celebrate the autumn. In a land steeped in tales of banshees, fairy forts, pookas, and restless spirits, it’s no surprise that horror finds fertile ground. Today, a fresh generation of storytellers is tapping into this legacy, riding a wave of audience fascination with Ireland’s ability to capture the unknown on screen.
Lee Cronin’s "The Hole in the Ground" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 and announced an impressive new talent. The supernatural horror was filmed on location in Counties Dublin, Kildare, and Wicklow, using the natural greens and browns of Ireland’s woodlands to create atmosphere, along with the stunning Irish coastal town of Bray, which features in the film.
A still from Lee Cronin's "A Hole in the Ground".
Subsequently, Cronin has shown he is one of the most exciting voices in horror with "Evil Dead Rise" in 2023, and audiences are in for another treat with Lee Cronin’s "The Mummy" due on screens in 2026. A reboot of the 1932 classic, "The Mummy," was filmed in Dublin, and according to Cronin himself, he has been “digging deep into the earth to raise something very ancient and very frightening."
Kate Dolan’s feature debut "You Are Not My Mother" roared onto screens in 2021, picking up numerous awards. Dolan has stated that she was inspired to make the film by Irish folklore and the Samhain traditions of lighting bonfires to ward off evil spirits.
A still from Kate Dolan’s "You Are Not My Mother".
Dolan’s atmospheric rendering of Dublin also led to her directing several episodes of Season 2 of "The Tourist," which was filmed in Ireland. No wonder she was selected to direct the "M3GAN" spin-off "SOULM8TE", which will be in cinemas later this year.
Bantry House and Gardens, Co Cork.
Only a select number of films have scored 100% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, and Damien McCarthy’s 2024 horror "Oddity" can boast that accolade.
A still from Damien McCarthy’s "Oddity".
Like his debut feature "Caveat", "Oddity" was filmed on location at Bantry House in West Cork. Initially built in the 18th century, the impressive stately home sits in a remote, rural area, with a sense of otherworldliness oozing from the stunning ivy-covered house and extensive gardens overlooking Bantry Bay, which are open to visitors and function as a B&B.
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McCarthy’s new film "Hokum", starring "Severance’s" Adam Scott, was also filmed in Bantry, telling the story of a horror novelist who comes to the West Cork town to spread his parents’ ashes - unaware that the location he chooses is rumoured to be haunted.
Adam Scott.
Humour and moments of levity have gone hand in hand with horror since its inception, and the Irish black humour and scenic landscapes present a perfect foil for some of the scarier moments.
The recent black comedy "Obituary", Season 2 of which is out, was filmed in the Northwest of Ireland, around County Donegal, in Bundoran and Ballyshannon.
“We needed a seaside vibe, but also a place that was big enough for a serial killing obituarist to hide”, said Executive Producer Paddy Hayes.
The West Cork towns of Glandore and Union Hall were also used to contrast the mystical goings-on in the Netflix series "Bodkin", which featured a fictionalised Samhain festival celebration on screen, along with bonfires, ancient rituals, and costumes.
Glandore, West Cork.
Of course, we couldn’t include a list of the supernatural without including Tim Burton’s "Wednesday", Season two of which was shot entirely in Ireland.
One of the key cast, Joanna Lumley, who plays Hester Wednesday’s grandmother, attested: “There is a spirit in Ireland which very much embraces the whole of this ‘Wednesday’ shoot.”
This spirit can be found on screen through the filming locations, from the imposing Powerscourt Estate and waterfall in Wicklow, which doubles as Hester’s House, to the enchanting neo-gothic Charleville Castle in Tullamore, County Offaly, which provides the backdrop for part of Nevermore Academy.
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Season three of the popular series has just been announced, and we can’t wait to see Ireland back on screens.
“It’s no coincidence that Dracula author Bram Stoker hailed from Dublin, and his stories were inspired by the stories of Irish folklore,” said "Wednesday" showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.
From ancient Samhain rituals to Netflix’s biggest hits, Ireland’s landscapes and legends are fuelling a new golden age of horror.
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