Stars fly in to Donegal as New Irish Horror Feature, ‘THE WAKE WOOD’ Begins Production Today
Aidan Gillen (The Wire), Eva Birthistle (Middletown) and Timothy Spall (Harry Potter series, Sweeney Todd) will star in the new Irish horror, thriller THE WAKE WOOD which begins production today in Co. Donegal.THE WAKE WOOD is directed by David Keating (The Last of the High Kings) from a screenplay co-scripted with Brendan McCarthy, who devised the original story. The film tells the story of a couple who, still grieving the death of nine-year-old Alice - their only child - at the jaws of a crazed dog, decide to relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood. Here, they learn of a pagan ritual that will allow them three more days with Alice. The couple find the idea disturbing and exciting in equal measure, but once they agree terms with Arthur, the village's leader, a far bigger question looms - what will they do when it's time for Alice to go back?
Co-produced by Fantastic Films, legendary horror company Hammer Films (Dracula, Frankenstein) and Solid Entertainment (Frostbite) in Sweden with funding from Bord Scannan na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB), THE WAKE WOOD is the 14th film to shoot in Ireland this year with funding from the IFB. The industry, which has benefited from a strong focused overall government policy, continues to raise international finance for creative feature films, with stars including Colin Farrell (Ondine), Eva Green (Cracks), and Liam Neeson (Five Minutes of Heaven), filming in locations all over Ireland.
Other films currently in production include THE ECLIPSE directed by Conor McPherson (The Actors) and starring Ciaran Hinds (There Will Be Blood) which began a five week shoot in Cobh Co. Cork this month. EAMONN directed by Margaret Corkery and Ken Wardrop's (Undressing My Mother) debut documentary feature ONE HUNDRED TO ONE OUTSIDERS both began production in mid-August.
Vertigo Films has acquired UK distribution rights for THE WAKE WOOD and is eyeing a fall 2009 release for the film.