Whenever a film starts with a goat, just know that it is NOT going to be a Disney princess film where the damsel sings and the animals rejoice, flowers bloom, and the sun shines that much brighter in a picturesque forest. Know that the goat is the omen. Know that you’re being introduced to a wild ride from the onset, so buckle up!

We are greeted by a wedding party taking place in 1974. A bride is taking a break only to see a goat and then is whisked away in the night, only a ring left as evidence that she was there. A bride has gone missing, and her groom calls out into the night for her, but she is long gone.

The next scene we witness is a woman in a dress, singing a song from years gone by, shambling about in her home until she finds herself wrapping a noose around her neck, a bag over her head, and the song dies as her feet swing to and from. Her body is left there hanging until it eventually falls on its own. Days pass and the door to the home is opened up by two women, one being Siubhan (Clare Monnelly), daughter of the woman who met her demise in the place, and the other is Siubhan’s very pregnant wife-to-be, Mila (Aleksandra Bystrzhitskaya). They’re to clean up the place and remove everything, but Siubhan has to cut it short. She receives a notification that her services as an in-home caretaker are needed for the next two weeks.

She’s greeted by a very reluctant and incredibly stubborn woman who lives in a town filled with people who aren’t very helpful either. Nothing says “Welcome to my humble abode!” like a good urine release at the front door, truly! As the movie goes on, we’ll understand exactly why this happens. Siubhan isn’t deterred and helps herself inside the home by way of some light B&E (breaking and entering; ILLEGAL so don’t try that on your own), but assures the lady that it will be fixed the next day. Siubhan, who tells the woman she prefers to be called Shoo, immediately sets out to fix what needs fixing, clean what needs cleaning, and making sure medicine is administered when we find out the lady in question is Peig (Brid Ni Neachtain), the bride that had gone missing at the beginning of the film.

While Shoo is set on making this work, she notices a red door that leads to the cellar with a horseshoe nailed to it and many trinkets around it. Peig warns Shoo to leave it be, amongst other warnings, such as the very peculiar call from the Primary Care agency that Peig asks Shoo if she’s certain it really was them calling. Peig seemingly has trust issues, but it’s not without reason that we get to see as the film progresses. The many acts that Peig utilizes are supposed to keep out the bad, her believing Shoo means her harm at first, until we see their bond becoming stronger over the course of the time Shoo is there. And while we get to see the two become more familiar, Shoo begins to note the way the townsfolk behave as well. The fun begins when a visit is paid by someone claiming to be from the agency, but we find that the visitor isn’t at all who they claimed to be.

This film, spoken in mostly Irish Gaelic dialect with some English thinly strewn in, is unsettling, beautifully building the suspense over the duration of the film. The cinematography is crafted to take you into that dreadful place accompanied by the disquieting music, leaving that feeling to sit in the pit of your stomach, knowing that Peig has good reasons to overuse salt on Shoo and other acts she employs to protect herself, and ultimately, Shoo. Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke (The Devil’s Doorway), Frewaka explores the topics of trauma and dark family histories that are hidden until it has no choice but to reveal themselves. With folklore as much of the focal point and Shoo as the vehicle for which these things ramp up, Frewaka was incredibly riveting. The ending will leave you deeply uncomfortable, left wondering if the family cycle will continue, or if the deed is finally satisfied.

Frewaka will be showing on Shudder on April 25th if you were unable to view it at this year’s Overlook Film Festival.