There's something ultimately very flat about this whole affair. The acting wasn't too bad but the script seemed "incomplete." The premise of a couple whose daughter dies in a vicious dog attack is quickly set up and dismissed. Next thing you know, we're in the mysterious town of Wake Wood. After accidentally stumbling upon a strange supernatural ceremony involving the townsfolk, the couple learns that they can revive their dead daughter for three days. They seem to accept this bizarre notion rather easily, more to move the plot along than anything else. The second half of the film destroys the interesting premise established in the first and we're presented instead with a blood 'n' guts horror without a soul, much like the undead child, Alice.

A new take on Pet Sementary. A very touching, dark and bloody film that had an extremely interesting first half followed by a demented,creepy and violent second half. Interesting story and great acting....

Interesting plot, but it's let down by a really terrible script. The acting is mostly ok, but at other times it seems like the actors are confused and/or bored with the script.

A very boring first and second acts are somewhat saved by a really great final 20 minutes. That's not to say there aren't a few decent scenes, like the burial, but overall the first two thirds of Wake Wood are tame, dull, and have no sense of conflict or danger. It attempts to slowly build up the suspense, but there is no substance to build up with.

The final act has a great combination of surprise character moves and motives, some shock scenes, good gore, and a couple of solid plot twists, even if they weren't wholly original or unpredictable.

Wake Wood is probably worth a watch if you like horror and there is nothing else on, a solid Netflix Instant pick, but I wouldn't seek it out too hard.

This movie is Pet Semetary with a twist. I thought it was going to be scarier, there was one part of the movie that scared the crap out of me but it wasn't a "scary" part. Overall it was a decent movie, different.

such a frustrating film - a good cast, an interesting director, a fascinating premise and a not bad script... but put them together and the whole thing just doesn't quite work. so close though, so tantalisingly close

Low budget horror that would have made a great 30min short but suffers from unfocused direction and a tonal conflict between its characters and central idea.
Worth a watch for the 'rebirth' scene where the townsfolk led by Timothy Spall's character bring back a couples dead daughter through a brilliantly bizarre and gory ritual.
The cast is decent enough but even Timothy Spall is unconvincing despite being enjoyable to watch.

it's quite gory and spooky and Eva Birthistle is great

I was surprised by this film, I expected to turn it of ten minutes in but somehow it maintained my attention from the beginning. Not as scary as I would have hoped for but plenty of gory scenes.

WAKE WOOD: Nice little Irish Pseudo-PET SEMATARY. Scary? No. Slightly gory? Yes. Gillen and Spall are always good. You could do worse.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

68 minutes in and AG asks "What the hell have we done?" Well, durh!

This could've been alright. It's an interesting premise, but the actors just aren't up to the level of grief needed to do what they do. It just doesn't ring true and from that moment on, the film has lost all credibility. The lead couple just accept what is offered blindly without a question about the whys and hows and what happens. They deserve what comes to them for their blatant stupidity if nothing else.

It doesn't help that the second half moves into predictable slasher territory with stupid deaths (and not in a good way). And when the genuinely unfrightening Timothy Spall says "I tried to warn you of the consequences." Er, no, you really didn't. I wish someone had warned me before viewing this drab affair.

A decent new entry in the time honoured British tradition of horror films about weird pagan communities.