By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
copyright Disney
I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.
When you mention the word villain immediately images of Darth Vader, Blofeld or the Daleks come to mind. But there are many equally memorable villains that have scared us or made us nervous at some time in one-off moments.
The banshee from the classic Darby and the Little People isn’t a villain in the true sense but she is a threat to Darby (Albert Sharpe) and his daughter Katie (Janet Munro).
As kids, the banshee terrified us. When the electricity went off in a power cut during the winter, we would sit by candlelight as sometimes it took hours to come back, In that time our aunt and mother would tell us stories of spooky and ghostly things that had happened to them over the years. There were stories of dead relatives returning, phantom horse carriages that only showed up during lightning storms and poltergeists.
But the biggest spectral terror lay in the stories of the banshee. Her mournful cry would echo out across the land heralding the death of some unfortunate. My aunt claimed to have seen one perched on an upper floor window ledge, wailing and combing her hair, patiently waiting for the soul to pass. All banshees had long golden hair and a scream to chill your very soul. Families were gather round the bed of their dying loved one clutching rosary beads and praying to God futilely to make the unearthly screaming stop. The banshee is a creature of purpose. Her job is to be near as the dying breath their last. She doesn’t collect souls or possess anyone; all she can do is mourn the upcoming passing. It was said she would target the families with a prefix on their surname like O’Brien or McDonald. Even the Irish spelling of a surname tags you for a visit; Quinn in Orish is spelt O’Coinn or McCuinn so I’m on her list when my time comes.
Imagine a dark winter’s night. The remote countryside is tarred with a blackness that swallows your very ability to see your hand in front of your face. Your home is lit by lamps and curtains are pulled tight. Your nearest neighbour is half a mile away and the cattle and sheep are like statues in blanketed fields. Only owls and bats dot the skies. There is a chill in the air as the wind itself holds its breath. A waxen moon hides behind ink clouds. Suddenly a sorrowful wail echoes out across the dark. The fearful occupants of the house stare in nervous terror at the closed curtains, their hands clasped together in prayer. They know death is on its way as the wails reverberate in their very chests. If they found a comb outside when the day broke, it must be left where it lay because it could belong to the banshee. Darby choose to hide the face and long hair aspects of the banshee but the effect is the same. Not seeing this ghostly face as it hovers down towards you triggers your imagination as to what lies beneath the hood. Many witnesses claim they saw her perched on something near the house wailing and combing that long hair in anticipation of the last beat of a heart.
The banshee is the Bigfoot of Irish and Scottish lore and Darby O’Gill is the only movie that successfully uses Irish myth to scare the life out of the audience. I vividly recall watching it in the Frontier cinema and this huge wailing golden figure bearing down on Darby and the injured Katie ready to take her away in the death coach. Despite the beautiful golden form, the hood hid the face of the banshee as it swoops down from the sky. To us little people she was a giant and we screamed and buried ourselves in our seats. It was as if the banshee was bearing down to grab us. It was a moment of pure cinematic magic that happened nearly fifty years ago but I see it as plainly now as it happened then. It’s part of the reason I fell on love with the cinema and movies.
The banshee is eternal and can never be defeated. She is the guardian of the dead passing into the light. When you hear that scream you know life is about to end and change at the same time. She will not kill or hunt you down. She mourns alongside the family and in a way she brings comfort. She announces the passing of the person and that their suffering will soon be over. The fact the banshee comes from another realm is hope that the dearly departed will also go to heaven. The banshee’s wailing presence is as if she is announcing a new soul going to the light. She is a contradictory being; associated with horror yet their purpose leads to the successful transfer to heaven.
Never again has another person successfully touched an audience with a banshee as Darby did. And in this head and all the heads in that cinema that day, the banshee will forever be alive and well.
copyright unknown
The Time Warriors and Beyond 