Horror film shot in Wexford has European premiere at Spanish festival

A SPINE CHILLING horror film shot in south County Wexford has its European premiere in Spain recently.

`The Lodgers’ - which is set mainly at Ireland’s most haunted house Loftus Hall - closed the Sitges Film Festival to rave reviews.

It had its North American premiere in front of a 500-strong crowd in September and its screenings sold out throughout the festival.

`The Lodgers’ is set in 1920s rural Ireland during its War of Independence and tells the story of Anglo Irish twins Rachel and Edward who are just about to turn 18. They reside in a crumbling manor on the edge of a village, where they have lived alone since their parents’ untimely death. Except they are not entirely alone for they share the house with an unseen spiritual force which resides in the basement, known only as The Lodgers. The twins must live by very strict rules set out by The Lodgers, or face unknown and devastating punishments.

‘The Lodgers’ was shot in Loftus Hall, which was celebrating its 666th birthday last year. The cast includes Deirdre O’Kane who won Best Actress at the 2015 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) for Noble; Moe Dunford, who was Ireland’s EFP Shooting Star at the 2015 Berlinale, and won best actor at the IFTAs and ECU European Independent Film Festival for Patrick’s Day; Roisin Murphy who was nominated for Best Actress at the 2013 IFTAs for What Richard Did; and with emerging stars Charlotte Vega, Eugene Simon, Bill Milner and David Bradley (of the Harry Potter films). It is directed by award winning director Brian O’Malley and is set for a January release in Ireland.