MANDRAKE, the debut feature from Lisburn director Lynne Davison, is a dark and unsettling thriller with a folk horror twist.
Now showing on Shudder, this atmospheric Northern Irish production is one of the better films I’ve seen lately on this streaming service for horror geeks.
Slow-paced and tense with a bleak disposition, Davison mixes natural lore, Fair City-style drama, and unnerving emotional triggers to lure us into a moody and nightmarish tale of witchcraft.
And, let me tell you, it’s grim up North!
This eerie little gem is all too realistic and lingers long after the final credits, so if you are looking for enchantment and fairytale witches, you have come to the wrong place.
Mandrake tells the creepy tale of probation officer Cathy Madden (Deirdre Mullins), who believes everyone deserves another chance at redemption.
Cathy is given the task of rehabilitating notorious killer ‘Bloody’ Mary Laidlaw (Derbhle Crotty) back into society after 30 years in jail for murdering her abusive husband. Mary is a figure of local legend and the stuff of occult rumours. For years, her name has been invoked to terrify children, but beliefs are firmly tested when two local children go missing, not far from Mary’s farm, within 24 hours of her release.
The villagers have no doubt that Mary is responsible and her presence in the local community stirs up an angry mob baying for her blood.
But Cathy doesn’t buy into the local superstitions and tales of the occult. Instead she sets out into the forest alone to find the missing children, finding herself baited into a magic ritual that shows Mary in her true colours.
An astute mix of genres, combining the psychological and supernatural to disquieting but winning results, Mandrake left me excited to consider what this talented young director will go on to do next. The performances throughout are equally compelling, and overall, I was left uneasy and bewitched.
(4/5)
