The Outcasts (1982)
December 14, 2024 9:24 PM - Subscribe
[TRAILER] Maura (Mary Ryan), the odd, intense daughter of an impoverished rural family in early 1800s Ireland is accused of witchcraft after she’s seen consorting in the woods with a fiddle player and supposed conjurer named Scarf Michael (Mick Lally).
A major rediscovery for fans of folklore, fantasy and folk horror, The Outcasts was the first feature directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons, famed for his work as writer on the seminal British folk horror film Blood on Satan's Claw. The Outcasts plays like an ancient ballad somehow captured on film, filled with the sorcery of earth and woods, musicians hooded in pagan straw masks and skirts, prejudice, myth and religion – and the peat and the mud and the bone-chilling cold. “There’s a queer sweetness in the air. It’s an unnatural state of affairs,” as one character murmurs. Ryan delivers an unforgettable performance as Maura with her piercing, raven-like beauty, matched by Lally as the nearly-mythic Scarf Michael. With a superb, lyrical score by acclaimed traditional folk composer Stephen Cooney. Recently restored by the Irish Film Institute – Film Archive, The Outcasts emerges as one of the great gems of Irish cinema – released for the first time ever in the U.S. by Deaf Crocodile.
Written and directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons. Produced by Tony Dollard for Tolmayax. Cinematography by Seamus Corcoran. Edited by Arthur Keating. Music by Stephen Cooney.
Not currently streaming, but available in a new restoration by the Irish Film Institute via either Deaf Crocodile or BFI. JustWatch listing.
A major rediscovery for fans of folklore, fantasy and folk horror, The Outcasts was the first feature directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons, famed for his work as writer on the seminal British folk horror film Blood on Satan's Claw. The Outcasts plays like an ancient ballad somehow captured on film, filled with the sorcery of earth and woods, musicians hooded in pagan straw masks and skirts, prejudice, myth and religion – and the peat and the mud and the bone-chilling cold. “There’s a queer sweetness in the air. It’s an unnatural state of affairs,” as one character murmurs. Ryan delivers an unforgettable performance as Maura with her piercing, raven-like beauty, matched by Lally as the nearly-mythic Scarf Michael. With a superb, lyrical score by acclaimed traditional folk composer Stephen Cooney. Recently restored by the Irish Film Institute – Film Archive, The Outcasts emerges as one of the great gems of Irish cinema – released for the first time ever in the U.S. by Deaf Crocodile.
Written and directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons. Produced by Tony Dollard for Tolmayax. Cinematography by Seamus Corcoran. Edited by Arthur Keating. Music by Stephen Cooney.
Not currently streaming, but available in a new restoration by the Irish Film Institute via either Deaf Crocodile or BFI. JustWatch listing.
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
There is a VHS sourced copy here to stream/download, but the Blu-Ray restoration is so lovely.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:30 PM on December 14