Outcast, the debut feature from director Colm McCarthy, is a contemporary supernatural horror film steeped in ancient Celtic occult, mythology and mysticism and will hit DVD on January 17th.

Boasting a strong cast of established British and Irish acting talent that includes James Nesbitt, Karen Gillan, James Cosmo, Kate Dickie and Christine Tremarco, along with up-and-coming newcomers Niall Bruton and Hanna Stanbridge, the film has been described as "a monster movie, a murder mystery, and a Polanski-style tale of strange emotional ties that gradually unravel in several unpleasant ways" (FearNet.com) and as "a bold, ambitious first feature... a genuinely menacing piece of horror" (Twitch).

On the run from a deadly pursuer and using an ancient form of magic to hide themselves, Irish travellers Mary (Dickie) and her teenage son, Fergal (Bruton), wind up living in a dingy flat on a run down council estate in the suburbs of Edinburgh. Shortly after arriving, Fergal makes friends with a pretty, feisty neighbour, a Scottish-Romany girl called Petronella (Stanbridge), but it is a relationship which the fiercely protective Mary is determined to prevent from developing – and for very good reason.

Meanwhile, Mary and Fergal’s hunter, Cathal (Nesbitt), a mysterious, terrifying and extremely dangerous man, is closing in. Using his own dark magic to trace his quarry, Cathal’s arrival in the Scottish capital coincides with a spate of brutal murders on the suburban estate. The killings appear to be the work of an inhuman beast and a connection to Cathal soon becomes apparent. What remains to be seen, however, is whether Cathal is responsible for the bloodshed and slaughter or if his mission is to prevent it.

A smart, stylish and original addition to a recent wave of quality British horror movies, Outcast proved to be one of the surprise gems at FrightFest this year.