When Mary and her teenage son, Fergal, move to yet another new home, it soon becomes clear they live their lives on the run, hiding from someone or something, terrified of being found. Their hunter, Cathal, soon picks up the trail. Intent on tracking Mary and Fergal, he will go to any lengths to succeed in his quest, often using dark arts to aid him. Mary’s only defence is to use an ancient form of her own magic to protect her only son. When local residents begin to be brutally murdered by an unknown life force, the sense of fear escalates. Is Cathal the beast responsible for the killing? Or is it the beast that he is trying to destroy?
Acting
Kate Dickie's ferocious maternal desperation.
Cinematography
Glasgow estates transformed into mythic wasteland.
Practical Effects
Creature design that earns its late reveal.
Director
Colm McCarthy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Colm McCarthy went on to direct episodes of Peaky Blinders and The Witcher, bringing this same grimy mythic energy.
Shot in actual Glasgow housing estates scheduled for demolition, giving the film its haunted documentary texture.
IE
GB
