FrightFest 2024: ‘An Taibhse’ (The Ghost) delivers bold visual storytelling

As the first Irish language horror film ever made, John Farrelly’s An Taibhse (also known as The Ghost) boldly arrives as an impressive outing that’ll leave you breathless. The feature emerges as a visual masterpiece, adorned with magnificent brushstrokes that prove Farrelly and his creative team understand exactly what it takes to deliver something special. While the story unravels predictably, it’s nonetheless a remarkable achievement. Independent cinema benefits greatly from Farrelly’s contribution – a stellar showcase of raw, unfettered talent.

An Taibhse tells the sorrowful tale about a man named Eamon (Tom Kerrisk) and his young daughter Máire (Livvy Hill) during their employment renovating a dilapidated estate. With the crisp winter air blanketing the property, the father-daughter duo set about cleaning and rebuilding parts of the collapsing home. While Eamon takes great care in tending to the stables, chopping wood, and other outside chores, Máire cares for the home’s insides, as well as cooking daily meals.

Things begin with a sliver of hope. Down on their luck, and having lived on the streets, Eamon and Máire yearn for a better way of life. And this new gig just might be their long-awaited meal ticket out of poverty. Set during the Great Famine, the family pair must band together if they plan to survive the tail end of the cultural crisis. Their lives intertwine; they couldn’t possibly survive to see the next day without one another. But their wills to live will be tested beyond their wildest imaginations, as the days drag on and fall like dominoes. If they want to endure, they must do whatever it takes to soldier through unimaginable hunger and frail mental faculties.

With winter seeming endless, Eamon’s mind begins to unfurl with feverish intensity. He loses his grasp on reality and time. A severe foot injury puts him on bed rest, leaving Máire to tackle the estate’s many duties on her own. Eamon then turns to alcohol to alleviate the mental pressure and grows increasingly violent. Máire cowers in fright. She spends her days wearily plodding through her tasks and her nights quivering from ghostly occurrences that haunt the property. But she can’t tell her father what’s going on. He’s not likely to believe her, even if she did. Eamon loses himself like echoes pinging through the cosmos.

Together, Kerrisk and Hill offer strong lead performances drenched in agony and human deterioration. With the film depending on their commitment to the work, the actors elevate the material with flaky layers of rich emotion. They feed into one another, allowing the film to be built upon a sturdy foundation. From there, Farrelly crafts his story by trusting his team to fulfill their end of the bargain. Kerrisk is especially frightening. As Eamon descends into blackness, Kerrisk guides the audience through a maddening funhouse of mental decline, unbridled rage, and torturous existence.

Farrelly and cinematographer Ross Power erect their visuals with stunning uses of color, light, and moody temperatures. Framing is equally beauteous to behold, an important piece of their puzzle. Without such attentiveness to striking visuals, An Taibhse would simply not be the true work of art it is.

From the expressive acting to the visual storytelling, An Taibhse floods the senses and arises as one of the year’s finest cinematic moments. John Farrelly is among the most exciting new voices in the independent arena. His ability to hit you where it hurts strikes awe. This is exactly what filmmaking is all about.

An Taibhse (The Ghost) made its international premiere at this summer’s FrightFest.

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