The spectral Irish motion picture was long relegated to the realm of collective memory, influencing later works of folk horror including Paul Duane’s All You Need Is Death. The enchanting pre-Famine narrative of Robert Wynne-Simmons reaped significant acclaim at film festivals in Brussels and Geneva. Despite this, after a brief spell in cinemas, a restricted VHS issuance in 1983, and a 1984 broadcast on Channel 4, the film vanished, mirroring the folkloric tales, symbols, and chronicles depicted within it. The film’s obscurity surely would have earned it a place in Mark Fisher’s The Weird and the Eerie had it been more accessible.
Literary influences like WB Yeats’s The Fiddler of Dooney and William Blake’s The Book of Thel resonate in the plot which delves into transformation myths and fading traditions. The story unfolds as mummers play along to a coerced wedding between Breda (Brenda Scallon) and devious rural lad Eamon (Mairtín Ó’Flathearta). The event is halted when distant fiddle music echoes, the source being the enigmatic and macabre fairy figure, Scarf Michael (Mick Lally). He finds a companion and lover in Breda’s oppressed younger sister Maura (Mary Ryan), a near-mute girl.
Subsequently, every adversity in the village is blamed on Maura. A crowd set on killing Maura, who stands accused of witchcraft, mobilizes despite the objections of Maura’s father (Don Foley) and the level-headed local priest (Paul Bennett).
Launched as the premier feature-length Irish film in half a century, The Outcasts has undergone an elegant 2K restoration, courtesy of the IFI’s Digital Restoration Project. Illusory visuals by cinematographer Seamus Corcoran and stark editor Arthur Keating’s juxtaposing cuts bring a fairy-like charm, mirroring the divine miracles in Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St Matthew. Renowned actors, including Cyril Cusack, bring to life suitably mythical characters. A treasure, indeed, has been uncovered.
Additionally, the eye-catching debut film, In Flames, a supernatural horror, will keep you captivated.