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Irish folk horror film Fréwaka debuted at the 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival on August 9, 2024. Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke, the Irish-English movie made its way to multiple film festivals across the globe. The movie will be available to stream on Shudder starting April 25, 2025.
The film explores the story of Shoo, a primary care worker, who is assigned to work for an agoraphobic old woman, Peig, in a remote Irish village. Peig lives in fear, constantly scared of the neighbours and the ominous group, 'Na Sídhe', who, she believes, were the ones who kidnapped her decades ago.
As Shoo becomes a part of Peig's life, she starts getting deeply involved in the strange beliefs and superstitions that haunt Peig, while her dreadful past chases her.
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As per IMDb, Fréwaka received an average rating of 6.3 from 162 users. The film also received positive reviews from eight critics on Rotten Tomatoes, who remarked on the blend of folklore and modern storytelling that Clarke showcased through this film.
Exploring digital release for Fréwaka
Fréwaka will make its digital premiere on Shudder on April 25, 2025. With a run time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, the film made a mark at various international film festivals such as the Locarno Film Festival 2024, BFI London Film Festival 2024, Vancouver International Film Festival 2024, and the 60th Chicago International Film Festival 2024.
It also won the Best Original Music award in the SOFC at Sitges Film Festival.
AMC's horror, thriller, and supernatural genre streaming platform, Shudder, acquired the streaming rights for Fréwaka. Jan Naszewski at New Europe Film and Marissa Frobes at CAA negotiated the streaming rights deal on behalf of the filmmakers with Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and production at Shudder.
In an exclusive coverage by Variety, Gotto expressed the excitement of having Clarke's acclaimed horror film on Shudder.
“After her striking debut ‘The Devil’s Doorway,’ we are thrilled to collaborate with Aislinn Clarke on ‘Fréwaka,’ an atmospheric and claustrophobic film deeply steeped in Irish folklore. It stands as the first horror film in the Irish language to grace the world’s most prestigious film festivals,” Gotto told the outlet.
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Plot of Fréwaka
The trailer for Fréwaka was unveiled on March 19, 2025, by Shudder. A Shudder original, this film is a part of the streaming platform's content ensemble titled 'Halfway to Halloween'.
The trailer starts with the disturbed-looking nursing student Shoo, experiencing the horrors of a troubled relationship with her 'crazy' deceased mother. Parallel references to her mother's disturbing life events are also flashed in between. Then, Shoo leaves her past behind and is seen going to a remote, eerie-looking Irish village.
She gets assigned to come here as a primary care worker for an old woman, Peig. The old woman suffers from mental health issues of dementia, paranoia, and delusions, which Shoo was not informed about before.
The trailer progresses with Peig making claims of seeing strange characters and having a house built under the one she lives in. References to Irish folklore and mystical characters such as 'Na Sídhe' add to the folk culture referenced in the film.
The trailer establishes how the old woman's experiences and trauma at a Catholic asylum get entwined with Shoo's troubled past, which the audience will explore deeply in this film.
The star cast and crew of Fréwaka
Irish writer-director Aislinn Clarke has written and directed Fréwaka. She is credited with being the first Irish woman to create a horror feature film, The Devil's Doorway (2018). The film was produced by Dermont Lavery and Patrick O'Neill with Máire Ní Chonláin, Deirbhile Ní Churraighín, Greg Martin, and Michael Hewit as executive producers.
The film stars Clare Monnelly as Shoo, the nursing student and primary care worker, and Bríd Ní Neachtain as Peig, the old, reclusive woman. Aleksandra Bystrzhitskaya plays the role of Mila, Shoo's pregnant Ukrainian fiancée.
The Irish horror film Fréwaka will be released for streaming on Shudder on April 25, 2025.
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