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Wake Wood

Play trailer Poster for Wake Wood R 2011 1h 30m Drama Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The parents of a deceased girl are given three days with their dead daughter.
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Wake Wood

Critics Reviews

View All (26) Critics Reviews
Philip French Guardian The film cleverly brings together WW Jacobs's celebrated short story The Monkey's Paw with The Wicker Man, and it's both touching and scary. Mar 28, 2011 Full Review Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) The film's reasonably effective, but never heightens its impact beyond what's on the page. Rated: 3/5 Mar 25, 2011 Full Review Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard Low expectations are the key to enjoying Wake Wood. You have been warned. Rated: 3/5 Mar 25, 2011 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Spooky and atmospheric with a compelling mythology, yet never becomes anything more than the sum of its parts. Rated: 3/5 Sep 24, 2023 Full Review Luke Owen CineVue The setting, the music and the atmosphere were all there to support a really intriguing plot and interesting characters, but its misguidedly short running time ruins what could have been a great film. Rated: 2/5 Feb 28, 2019 Full Review Naila Scargill Exquisite Terror With nicely subtle handling of its occult element, the film slowly builds an atmosphere and is more chilling as a result. Feb 28, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (293) audience reviews
Audience Member For 2011: a very well-told, dramatic horror film if you can stomach the gory moments you understand the heart behind its intentions the cirlce of continuous life,death, and rebirth feels almost like Pet Semetary mixed with Wicker Man the parents who yearn for just another moment with their child are played by convincing British actors and Timothy Spall flows just as admirably it's so touching that a 2nd chance can seem miraculous but at the same time frightening when you try to play God its a short movie and doesnt really go beyond what being told still, I cant say its a complete failure even with some minor story gaps left to be filled in if you're in the mood for some family lessons about love and life and for some bloody scenes then Wake Wood should do the trick Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/29/24 Full Review John C Yeah, in almost every review of 'Wake Wood' there's a mention of Stephen King's 'Pet Sematery,' so I figured I'd get my reference out of the way early. I guess there's a reason everyone compares the two as the basic premise is exactly the same, i.e. a couple lose a child in a horrific accident and go to supernatural lengths to bring their loved on back. And, if that sort of slow-moving family horror appeals to you (and you haven't seen the Hollywood version!) then you'll probably like it. However, if - like me and so many others - you've grown up with 'Pet Sematary,' this film just feels like it's - mainly - retreading old ground. But it's not bad. The performances are all fine. The child at the centre of it all could be awful (based generally on child actors in horror movies!), but is perfectly fine, leaving the bulk of the acting to be carried on the adults around her. For any of you 'Game of Thrones' fans out there, the leading man in none other than 'Littlefinger' from the TV series, Aiden Gillen. I have to say I enjoyed his performance here (as well as his now more famous role) and his character goes through the most 'development' in 'Wake Wood' (although I won't mention how due to possible 'spoilers'). Timothy Spall is the 'acting heavyweight' on the cast list who adds a little more 'gravitas' to the film and, although his part is more of a 'back-up' character he's a solid addition. If you're hoping for a gruesome horror than you'll be sorely disappointed. There isn't much gore here, therefore there's never much need for high budget special effects. The scenery deserves a mention as the countryside is indeed beautiful and adds to the film's overall bleak and cut-off feel. It's a slow burner and, although nothing spectacular, anyone who hasn't seen 'Pet Sematary' should get a lot out of it. For those of us more familiar with the Hollywood incarnation, we'll probably end up sticking with that, but there are still a couple of plot twists that even hardened horror buffs might not see coming. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/30/24 Full Review Michael B Very good movie!! Acting was great & a very interesting & scary plot! If you like scary suspenseful movies, this is a must see! Really enjoyed it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/01/22 Full Review Audience Member it's not particularly bad, but there is certainly nothing very good either. it seems kind of ominous at first but devolves as it goes along, and has very serious pacing issues. i found myself pretty bored. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member A familiar trope that has been done dozens of times, this time as part of the folk horror subgenre. While the atmosphere created is good, the story is just too much like Pet Sematary(1988) to hold attention and titillate. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Its a movie thats decent/ok for the first two acts before excelling in the third act. I really liked the ending. For two acts the plot was bland and looked like it was sticking to a tried and true blueprint, but then they added a nice twist at the end, Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Wake Wood

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Cast & Crew

To the Devil a Daughter 45% 37% To the Devil a Daughter Watchlist The Orphanage 87% 86% The Orphanage Watchlist TRAILER for The Orphanage Vinyan 50% 32% Vinyan Watchlist The Backwoods 57% 27% The Backwoods Watchlist The Final 14% 33% The Final Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis The parents of a deceased girl are given three days with their dead daughter.
Director
David Keating
Producer
Brendan McCarthy, John McDonnell
Screenwriter
David Keating, Brendan McCarthy
Production Co
Exclusive Film Distribution, Hammer Films
Rating
R (Disturbing Images|Brief Sexuality|Bloody Violence)
Genre
Drama, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 2, 2012
Runtime
1h 30m
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