The Outcasts is a 1982 movie from Ireland, (it was the first major film to be funded in Ireland for 50 years) written and directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons, best known as the writer of both the screenplay and the recent novelization of Blood on Satan’s Claw. The film stars Mary Ryan (Rawhead Rex, The Writing on the Wall and In Loving Memory), Mick Lally (Alexander, Secret of the Kells and Glenroe), Tom Jordan (Remington Steele, Strumpet City and Lost Belongings) and Cyril Cusack (Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and The Day of the Jackal). Here from BFI's Flipside series is a Blu-Ray release of this lesser-known folk horror classic- featuring a new HD scan, an excellent/ informative commentary, and a few  other new/ archive extras

Set prior to the Great Irish Famine of 1845 – 1852, The Outcasts tells the tale of an introverted young woman, Maura O’Donnell (played by Ryan) who is deemed backwards by all of the locals. She is bullied by the other teenagers in the village and treated as some kind of second-class citizen by the grown-ups.  Maura’s friendship with a local fiddle-playing shaman named Scarf Michael (Lally)  coincides with a succession of tragedies and visions that befell the village. The superstitious locals decide that Maura must be a witch, therefore responsible for these events, and must be punished according to their traditions, however, Maura and Scarf Michael have other ideas.

Rooted in Irish folklore, it is a great companion piece to Robert Wynne-Simmon's earlier masterwork, Blood on Satan’s Claw.  Both films have the folklore, traditions and superstitions of an earlier pagan age at heart, and both deal successfully with ideas about fear of all things supernatural or alien within those settings.  The Outcasts perfectly fits the description of proto-folk horror and deserves to be considered as a close relative of several UK TV movies/series such as Red Shift, Robin Redbreast, The Owl Service and Penda’s Fen. 

The cast is superb, particularly Mary Ryan who provides a stellar performance as Maura. She perfectly portrays both the naïve innocence of childlike Maura and the inner strength that is required by her in the wake of her treatment by the villagers. Mick Lally is also worthy of particular praise for his role as the fairy shaman, Scarf Michael. He manages to appear both kind and charismatic to Maura and sinister and alien to the other villagers.

The film itself looks wonderful with some outstanding views of the Irish countryside, however, one thing that is worth noting is that, much like Blood on Satan’s Claw, the whole thing seems to be shot with a muddy sort of haze that seems representative of the grey, misty moors of rural old Ireland.

The Outcasts is one of the great lost films, originally screened in Ireland for one week in 1982 before being bought by Channel 4 and screened as part of their Film on Four series in 1984. In between this it was released on VHS in 1983, however, this new Blu-ray release is the first time it has been seen since. The film was originally shot on 16mm and blown up to 32mm, this release was drawn from an existing 32mm print and is probably as good as it will ever look.

This new Blu-ray release from the BFI features the new 2k restoration conducted by the Irish Film Institute, a brilliant audio commentary by Diane Rodgers, an interview with the director, a short film by Wynne-Simmons called The Fugitive and a short animated film based on Irish folklore called, The Wandering of Ulick Joyce, whilst those picking up a first pressing will receive a comprehensive booklet featuring an essay from Rodger, and other writings from both Wynne-Simmons and Vic Pratt from the BFI.

Overall, this is a stunning release for one of the most underappreciated gems in the folk horror canon. It is so good to finally have a decent print of this on Blu-ray. The film itself is an excellent tale of folklore, superstition and traditions and the disc features a solid collection of bonus material, particularly Rodgers’ excellent audio commentary. I always find it most refreshing when someone with as much knowledge on the subject of folklore and superstition is brought on board to discuss these movies at length. If you’ve ever had an interest in the folk horror subgenre of cinema, then this release will be right up your street. Well written, well directed, beautifully shot and so important in the history of Irish film, The Outcasts is an excellent film and one that more people need to see.