“It’s the mythical and political Irish context of “Fréwaka” that makes it stick, as it draws on lingering national guilt over the iniquities of the Magdalene laundries, and twists deep-seated folk imagery into uncanny nightmare fuel.” – Variety

Get ready for St. Patty’s Day with this terrifying slice of folk horror madness imported straight from the Emerald Isle. Written and director by Aislinn Clarke, FRÉWAKA incorporates Celtic folklore, generational trauma and the malfeasance of the Catholic Church into an atmospheric haunted-house tale infused with occult horror and told primarily in the Irish language. The film follows home care worker Shoo (Clare Monnelly), who, haunted by a personal tragedy, leaves her pregnant girlfriend to care for Peig (Bríd Ní Neachtain), a cantankerous old woman who has incarcerated herself in a big house on the edge of a remote village. Peig fears the neighbors as much as she fears na sídhe—sinister entities whom she believes abducted her on her wedding night decades earlier. As the two develop a deep connection, Shoo is infected by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually confronting the horrors of her own past. With echoes of the insular traditionalism of Midsommar and the devilish goat figure of The Witch, Clarke’s haunting folk is deftly woven through with contemporary concerns about mental health, inherited trauma, and the fraught realm of motherhood.

This film is screening in Arkadin’s April 2026 Sunday Series on WOMEN DIRECTORS, featuring a selection of unusual, rarely screened works from female filmmakers.

Each month, Arkadin presents a selection of FOLK HORROR AROUND THE WORLD, creepy folktales from all corner of the globe to give you the Sunday scaries.

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.