Boys From County Hell Review: A Quirky Irish Cast Hunt Down An Ancient Vampire

Release date: April 22, 2021
Running time: 92 minutes
Starring Jack Rowan (Peaky Blinders), Nigel O’Neill (The Bookshop), Louisa Harland (Derry Girls), Fra Fee (Animals, the upcoming Hawkeye series) and John Lynch (The Terror, The Banishing) and Michael Hough (the upcoming Chapelwaite series)
Written and Directed by Chris Baugh (Bad Day for the Cut)

Strange events unfold in Six Mile Hill – a sleepy Irish town that claims to have been traveled by the famed author Bram Stoker – when construction on a new road disrupts the alleged grave of Abhartach, a legendary Irish vampire said to have inspired Dracula. Deadly and sinister forces terrorize the work crew led by Francie Moffat and his son Eugene, a free-spirited young man who prefers pints to pickaxes, and they're forced to fight to survive the night while exposing the true horror that resides in the town’s local myth. 

Boys From County Hell has a fun, dry style that sinks its fangs into you from the start.  The film has an uncaring attitude, like a horror version of In Bruges.  The main characters are all fun to follow and add character to the movie.  I really liked the banter, friendship, and light ribbing that occurred throughout; it lets you get to know the characters and see their light-hearted interactions.  And the movie is actually funny, with some ridiculous situations and small town humor that will keep you smiling during this slowly-paced, but entertaining horror movie.  There are plenty of over the top comments and situations, as the crew come to grips with the strange occurrences, and then try to survive them.  And Boys from County Hell also has great practical effects that look genuine and old school.  The blood and wounds look great and the vampires look gruesome and scary. 

But the film has a few issues, mainly in the story.  Although I appreciated the more laid back pace of the movie, it did feel like it took a long time to get going.  There are overtones of dread as the crew start to notice the strange happenings around them but there is not a lot of horror and not a lot of emotion until the last sequence.  It made for a fun experience to get to know the group but then made for a film that felt like it idled until the last exciting part.  And the story has a few strange occurrences to move it along that just felt utterly random.  Maybe those are common place in Ireland, but to me it felt like convenient situations that felt out of left field to progress the story.  And for a horror movie, the film is not that scary.  It has its moments and some really good effects, but overall it is more of a quirky rather than a scary affair.

Boys From County Hell will keep your Irish eyes smiling with its genuinely funny humor, great practical effects, and quirky cast of characters.

Rent it.

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Boys From County Hell is available to stream on Shudder starting April 22, 2021.