Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- eerie
- oppressive
- melancholic
- late night horror viewing
- folk horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found this low-budget folk horror effective and atmospheric, praising its ritualistic themes and willingness to push grief into disturbing absurdity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Patrick and Louise accept a pagan ritual to spend three days with their dead daughter Alice, transforming parental grief into a dangerous supernatural transaction.
Wake Wood's isolated community, led by Arthur, preserves a ritual involving burial, ceremony, and the temporary return of the dead.
Alice is brought back through ritual for a limited period, creating unease around what exactly has returned and whether the living can control it.
Patrick and Louise relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood, where local residents collectively guard and administer the resurrection rite.
Films like Wake Wood, and why
The Wicker Man
shared folk horror atmosphere, pagan ritual, rural community menace, and taboo-centered supernatural dread
Don't Look Now
shared grief-driven supernatural horror, ambiguous reality, and mournful psychological tension
The Blood on Satan's Claw
shared rural occultism, ritual violence, and escalating communal nightmare
Pet Sematary
shared resurrection premise, disturbing bodily return, and bleak supernatural horror
Movie Details
- Director
- David Keating
- Release Date
- 2011-03-25
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (218)
Cast
- Aidan Gillen
- Eva Birthistle
- Timothy Spall
- Ella Connolly
- Amelia Crowley
- Brian Gleeson
- Ruth McCabe
- Dan Gordon
- Tommy McArdle
- John McArdle
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Wake Wood about?
- A grieving couple’s chance to reclaim their dead daughter through a village resurrection rite turns parental love into a terrifying supernatural bargain.
- What is Wake Wood like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wake Wood as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Wake Wood violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Wake Wood as brutal.
- What did critics think of Wake Wood?
- Critics broadly found this low-budget folk horror effective and atmospheric, praising its ritualistic themes and willingness to push grief into disturbing absurdity.
- Which films are like Wake Wood?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wicker Man, Don't Look Now, The Blood on Satan's Claw, and Pet Sematary.
- How long is Wake Wood?
- Wake Wood runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Wake Wood?
- In United States, Wake Wood is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
