Horror Favourites – Garry Walsh

Genre-bending heist-gone-horrible, comedy-horror Wickedly Evil sees the chaotic misadventures of three hapless hoodlums who get more than they bargain for while laying low in the Irish countryside. We grabbed its director Garry Walsh for a chat about what horror films he loves the best.

Prepare for some Wickedly Evil thrills and bloody chills, in this comedy horror caper that sees a group of hapless hodlums’ lives spiral out of control as they attempt to lay low in the Irish countryside after pulling off a heist. Marking the directorial debut of Garry Walsh (Older Than Ireland), the film was released  in the UK by 101 Films.

Incompetent gangsters, Frankie (Joseph McGucken – The Doireann Project), Dancer (James Farrelly) and Gaz (Darryl Carter) have successfully robbed a notorious Irish crime family, but that’s the last thing that goes right for them… Spotted making a run for it by Clare (Louise Bourke – Who We Love), the mob’s youngest sister, things take a terrifying turn for the worse.

With Clare taken hostage, one of the gang missing and another nursing a gunshot wound, the men have no choice but to lay low in the remote Irish countryside in a safe house, where their problems continue to mount… Their boss, The Chief (Owen Roe – Intermission), is concerned more about the cocaine and the cash than the safety of his crew.

Meanwhile, suspicions begin to brew among the local police, while the well-meaning next-door neighbour, Sadie (Cat L. Walsh), offers leftover lasagne and warnings about a couple that recently vanished in the area… As paranoia takes hold and tensions flare, the situation begins to spiral out of control and the gang soon discovers that evil lurks in the most unexpected places…

Below director Garry Walsh talks horror with us:

“I’ll never forget the first time I watched A Nightmare on Elm Street – Freddy Krueger really got under my skin and just wouldn’t leave. I was only 12 at the time, which was probably too young, but hey, we all do stuff like that, right? I spent the next week wide awake, scared to close my eyes. The idea of a killer haunting your dreams? Pure genius. Wes Craven really shook things up by throwing a supernatural curveball into the mix. And then you have John Carpenter with Halloween. If I had to choose just one horror movie to watch for the last time, this is the one. The way he created such intense suspense with practically nothing – those long camera shots and that unforgettable score – was nothing short of brilliant.

My love for all things horror started pretty young. Another clear memory is sneaking around to watch “V”. It was this wild mix of sci-fi and horror that just blew my young mind, especially that scene where the girl gives birth to an alien baby. Talk about a thrill!

And then there’s Japanese horror – an entirely different level of creepy. Movies like Ringu and Ju-On: The Grudge don’t just scare you; they crawl into your brain and linger there. It’s not about blood and guts; it’s about the slow build of terror that gets you. Then you have Audition by Takashi Miike and Dark Water, which mix real emotional depth with the supernatural. These movies aren’t just jump scares; they’re about stories that stick with you long after they’re over.

I also got a kick out of creature features like The Thing, The Fly, and Dawn of the Dead. Mixing horror with sci-fi? Sign me up any day! And let’s not forget the Hammer films – those were something else. The way they brought Dracula and Frankenstein to life was just amazing. They weren’t just horror movies; they were works of art with all their drama and deep storytelling. And back to J-Horror, these films aren’t just scary; they make you think and feel. That’s the kind of horror that really gets me.”

Wickedly Evil is out now.

Wickedly Evil Trailer