If, like me, you have missed the monster fun of the vampire flick, you are in for a treat as Boys from County Hell is everything you could want from a blood-sucking monster picture.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin. A lonely hawthorn tree sits on a hill just outside the village of Slaughtaverty, County Derry. This lone tree has a devilish story to tell, as it marks the grave of Chieftain Abhartach, the first Vampire king of Ireland. Abhartach was torn apart by jealousy and violence, and following his death, he was quickly buried upright just outside the village to prevent him from ever climbing out of his muddy grave. But Abhartach was not to go quietly, and the next day he returned from the grave, demanding the villagers’ blood. Terrified, the villagers did as he commanded, taking blood from their wrists and serving it in a bowl.
However, it wasn’t long before the villagers grew weary of this chore and sent for the warrior chieftain Cathán to slay the undead beast. Cathán did as he was asked, only to find Abhartach once more risen from the grave, demanding more blood. Seeking the advice of a local druid, Cathán was told to kill the undead with a sword made of yew before burying him upside down, feet towards the sky, stacking stones on the grave to ensure he could not rise to the surface. As he completed the deed, a warning echoed through the village; the stones must never be removed.
This tale may have partly inspired Bram Stoker long before he went on to write the world-famous Dracula. And yet, the Irish roots of the vampire have long remained silent on film, until now. Director Chris Baugh joyfully brings the legend of Abhartach to life in his new tongue-in-cheek horror film, Boys from County Hell, and the result is a mighty good craic.
Our story starts in the fictional small town of Six Mile Hill, where, according to legend, Bram Stoker once stayed the night and heard the tale of Abhartach before visiting his alleged grave outside the town, where a pile of stones sits stacked and undisturbed. It’s fair to say Six Mile Hill has flogged this legend for all its worth ever since in a village where most of its young people dream of escape. A few of those seeking escape are Eugene Moffat (Jack Rowan), along with his small group of friends: Claire (Louisa Harland), William Bogue (Fra Fee), and SP McCauley (Michael Hough).
Eugene lives in the dilapidated home of his dearly departed mother, his relationship with his father, Francie (Nigel O’Neill), almost beyond hope of healing. Eugene works for the family construction company while dreaming of something bigger, but not even Eugene could know just how fucking big things are about to get! When his father announces plans to build a new road through the sacred grave of Abhartach, the locals rebel, and life becomes hard. But when the stones of that ancient grave are disturbed, all hell breaks loose!
In recent years, vampire movies have slowly morphed into far more human stories, as in films such as Rose: A Love Story and My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To. These movies have challenged the monster image and transformed the vampire story into one of fragility and seclusion. While these films have injected new life into the vampire through a beautiful mix of drama and horror, I have to say I, for one, have missed a bit of classic monster horror. After all, who doesn’t love a tongue-in-cheek, blood-sucking beast tearing its way through a town of innocents?
Well, if, like me, you have missed the monster fun of the vampire flick, you are in for a treat as Boys from County Hell is everything you could want from a blood-sucking monster picture.
With dark humour and jump scares galore, Baugh’s movie is a gory and wickedly entertaining treat. Some may argue that Boys from County Hell neither fully commits to comedy nor to horror, but in truth, that’s a minor quibble in a movie that embraces classic monster horror through wicked performances and a devlishly entertaining screenplay.
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