Film Review: Boys From County Hell

With the exception of the animated family affairs of Hotel Transylvania, vampire movies haven’t exactly been dominating the big screen recently. Boys from County Hell bucks that trend, offering horror-comedy with a uniquely Northern Irish twist.

It begins in typical fashion: all seems well in a quiet small town, but there are hints of “something strange going on.” And so it proves. While the title is owed to the legendary Shane MacGowan, the film takes its inspiration from the story of Abhartach, a Celtic chieftain thought to have partially inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

His tale is modified here, starting with a stone cairn atop his grave in the small Ulster village from which our heroes hail. Although there are occasional, cringe-inducing “immersion-on” type jokes, this is one of the best blends of horror and comedy since Shaun Of The Dead. Similar to the Simon Pegg-directed film, the locals must band together to save their town from the threat when Abhartach rises again. There are excellent performances from Jack Rowan and Nigel O’Neill, who brilliantly showcase a typical Irish father-and-son dynamic. But might the undead prevail? You’ll have to go to find out!

Watch the trailer below.