The Devils Doorway (2018) Aislinn Clarke

The Devil's Doorway is an Irish Independently produced film that was released in 2018 and directed by
Aislinn Clarke, it sets apart from other horror films by having an Irish setting however the focus is not
Ireland itself, it is the story they are telling. Irish Director Michael McDonagh has been quoted saying “...I
am trying to get away from the description of the movie as an Irish film... It is not an Irish film. It is just
set in Ireland with lots of Irish characters.” He did this to steer away from the ‘typical’ Irish film, as he
would describe as not “technically accomplished” or not “intelligent.” As an Irish filmmaker himself this
tends to be very disrespectful to the title and to his fellow Irish filmmakers. The claims of John
McDonagh that his film is not Irish is very disappointing as an Irish citizen I find it disrespectful to other
Irish directors and filmmakers, his film resonates with a lot of Irish citizens as it has a story with Irish
characters, an Irish setting and Irish stories, and therefore should be referred to as an Irish film.

The film has a very ‘Blair Witch’esque feeling to it as it is shot in a found-footage style, which shows the
low budget that the film had as it tends to be a go-to for young filmmakers that do not have the access
to the right funds to make a high-budget horror film. It does have a different style and technique to it
which we haven’t seen in Irish cinema. This Irish Film, ‘A Devils Doorway’ is the first Irish feature film to
be both written and directed by a woman. This film was very well done for having such a low budget.

‘The Devil’s Doorway’ has been regarded as the most original found footage film since The Blair Witch
Project, which was a low budget student film, this shows that even young students can create something
unique and well put together with what little money and time they have. The Devils Doorway focuses on
the actions of the characters, which is important for this low budget film as it does not have the budget
for a huge set like in Hollywood. This film takes its inspiration from the history of Magdalene Laundries
in Ireland and the narrative is formed around the Bon Secours mother-and-baby home in Taum, Galway
in which significant numbers of dead children have been found.
- McLoone "Irish Cinema and International Screen Culture" in Hill 2019
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6793280/?ref_=tt_mv_close