Fréwaka
Directed by Aislinn Clarke
After a personal tragedy, nurse Shoo is sent to a remote village to care for a woman with agoraphobia. The woman fears her neighbors as much as she fears the "Na Sídhe," evil beings who she claims kidnapped her decades ago. As a strangely deep connection develops between the two women, Shoo becomes increasingly consumed by the old woman's paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, until she is finally forced to confront the horrors of her own past.
Fréwaka Ratings & Reviews
- NiztradamusFebruary 17, 2026Nice folk horror tale with, and I am really sad to say this, a really bad payoff. While the acting, besides Alexandra Bustryzhickaya, who should look for a different carreer path imo, was fine throughout. The atmosphere was there and the tension grew throughout the movie. Why didn't I rate it higher then? The ending... It felt like the movie needed another 15-20 minutes to not conclude the story, which it did, but to give us some more information about the thing that the movie kept us guessing at throughout. Yes, there is a reveal but that reveal is only a few seconds long with only some visual cues. I don't need a movie to hold my hand but at least give us some idea what the f*** we are looking at.
- James SaenzOctober 11, 2025“you don’t know what punishment is.” fréwaka depicts generational trauma, hereditary illness and religious oppression through a fae haunting that feels like it’s constantly roiling between your feet and underneath your skin. pacts with the devil (whether judeo-christian or pagan or some secret third thing) never end well, and the price paid is immeasurably steeper than the reward gained. what i find most compelling about this film is its portrayal of the subjugation of women, regardless of the culture. peig is kidnapped and forced to abandon her child to the indigenous entities plaguing her, sacrificing her future for her freedom. shoob’s mother abuses her in an attempt to force christian piety upon her, a clear allusion to the suffering the irish endured at the hands of catholic imperialism; the magdalene laundries that plagued ireland for centuries are even referenced multiple times by different characters. every aspect of the narrative is an examination of the oppressive systems at play and the victims relegated to navigating them; the ending is especially so bleak, with no clear way forward that shatters these systems. opposing religions or ideologies often overlap in overlooked places, and the same demographics often receive the short end of the stick. there are also several moments that feel like homage to folk horror of the past, such as the original the wicker man, which feel thematically relevant without ever encroaching upon fraudulent. i hope i grow to like this more on subsequent viewings, because the actual execution of a lot of these themes left a lot to be desired on my part.
- thereelvoiceApril 30, 2025Fréwaka is an effective folk horror that plays on atmosphere and mood more than bloody jump scares. Layers are peeled back as ideas of trauma bonding and mental health are explored. It makes for an uneasy watch as we all wonder what is coming for us when we finally reach an elderly stage in life. And moving through the narrative, Fréwaka pushes the viewer to think about unresolved familial strife and how this may carry into something ugly. This film is eerie, not just because of its imagery, score and tense atmosphere. It’s scary because it nudges you into the feeling that your unresolved trauma has unforeseen consequences.
Fréwaka Trivia
Fréwaka was released on March 21, 2025.
Fréwaka was directed by Aislinn Clarke.
Fréwaka has a runtime of 1h 43m.
Fréwaka was produced by Patrick O'Neill, Dermot Lavery.
After a personal tragedy, nurse Shoo is sent to a remote village to care for a woman with agoraphobia. The woman fears her neighbors as much as she fears the "Na Sídhe," evil beings who she claims kidnapped her decades ago. As a strangely deep connection develops between the two women, Shoo becomes increasingly consumed by the old woman's paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, until she is finally forced to confront the horrors of her own past.
The key characters in Fréwaka are Shoo (Clare Monnelly), Peig (Bríd Ní Neachtain), Mila (Alexandra Bustryzhickaya).
Fréwaka is a Horror, Drama, Fantasy film.
Fréwaka has an audience rating of 7.2 out of 10.