Today it is common knowledge that the writer Dracula Bram Stoker was inspired by the legend of the Romanian nobleman Vlad Tepes, but according to some theories this Irish author was at least partly inspired by the local legend of the demon Abhartach. It is in one of those typical Irish dormant provincial places that the action of this horror comedy takes place where rare tourists come just to see the stone tomb of the demon that allegedly inspired Stoker.
The local pub there is also named after Stoker, and already in the introductory scenes we see three local young men, Eugene (Jack Rowan), William and SP, performing spat at the expense of the Canadian couple. And all of them, like the rest of the characters we will meet, are typical characters from British social dramas, outsiders who have no job and are aware that there is not a bright future ahead of them.
But even that future is better than what will happen to them in the present because with their recklessness they will awaken a demon who according to legend comes out of his grave to drink blood. Unfortunately, the solid opportunity offered to him here was missed by Chris Baugh, who presented himself in a much better light with his debut thriller “Bad Day for the Cut”.
A good part of the cast from that revenge thriller also appears in “Boys from County Hell”, but it was just a mediocre attempt that is only nominally a comedy because there is not much opportunity for laughter. Somehow I had the impression that Baugh threw all the cards on the table too quickly (completely unnecessary introductory scene of the elderly couple’s massacre, after which we return to the beginning), and the idea of it being a mix of social drama, family drama about father-son relationship, feel good silly comedy and classic vampire film didn’t quite come to life.
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