Wake Wood, one of a clutch of new offerings from a freshly revived Hammer, harks back to a long tradition of horror that is distinctly of the British Isles. Set in a quiet village somewhere in Ireland, it has a loamy, dank atmosphere that recalls Jacobs’ startling short story, The Monkey’s Paw, and vague echoes of the folky weirdness on display in the 1971 film, The Blood On Satan’s Claw. While Louise works at a local pharmacy, Patrick looks after the livestock on a farm belonging to sinister landowner, Arthur (Timothy Spall, clad head to foot in tweed). Following a bizarre accident involving a cow and an unexpected glimpse of a midnight occult ritual, Patrick and Louise decide that Wake Wood’s a bit too creepy for comfort. But then, just as they’re prepared to pack up all their belongings and leave, Arthur makes the couple an offer they can’t refuse: the chance to bring their daughter back from the dead. Naturally, reviving a dead body doesn’t come without consequence, and Wake Wood soon takes a grim, supernatural turn. Gillen and Birthistle seldom display the chemistry of Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, and David Keating’s direction lacks the time bending artistry of Roeg’s, but Wake Wood is nevertheless a tense, enjoyably retro horror. Its themes of grief and rebirth are cleverly illustrated, and while Wake Wood lags a little after the first hour, where events take on a rather more predictable hue that recalls films like Pet Sematary or the Macaulay Culkin thriller, The Good Son, the film rallies for a great final few minutes. Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.