The Hungry Grass

Back

Details

Location

Donegal

Year

Circa 1981

Date

Production

Length

05min 03sec

Audio

sound

Format

Super 8

black and white

Source

Digitised as part of the BFI's Unlocking Film Heritage project

Courtesy

British Film Institute, Mrs Lindy Reid

Rights Holder

Mrs Lindy Reid

It is illegal to download, copy, print or otherwise utilise in any other form this material, without written consent from the copyright holder.

Description

Beware of cursed grass in this offbeat thriller. What will become of the American who crossed the seas to visit his ancestors’ graves? After reading his own name on a tombstone will things take a turn for the worse? Never underestimate the perils of sketching in a graveyard, perhaps that uneasy presence is not just an overactive imagination. Take care next time you walk through the long grass after watching this film it will never feel the same again.

Notes

There are several tantalising versions of the hungry grass myth. Known as féar gortach in Gaelic the hungry grass ‘cursed’ those who dared to tread on its mischievous stalks with insatiable and perpetual pangs of hunger. William Carleton believed that it was planted by fairies whilst other say that it grew wherever people died during the famine. Archie Reid was a History teacher and prolific film maker. He won several awards including the IAC Trophy in 1981 for creative use of sound in this film.

Credits

Directed by Archie Reid

×

Please scroll to review and accept our terms and conditions (last updated on ) before viewing the moving images content.

To remember your terms and conditions acceptance, you can register as a site member or allow cookies on your browser.