‘Unwelcome:’ Irish Folklore Plus Goblins Equals Blood-Soaked and Silly Phantasmagoria
When horror films employ some specific lore, they tend to get overly serious. Filmmakers usually do this to explore complex themes (think of The Witch, Hereditary, or last year’s Men) through traditional tales that often involve mythological creatures. These movies are generally grim, bleak, and unsettling — aiming to dig deep under the surface. But sometimes, that approach deprives any potential fun to be had, inherently, in a material that features rather foolish-looking fairy tale monsters that are more funny than spooky. Jon Wright’s latest horror, Unwelcome, shares that tendency to go somber on us by lamenting themes like bullying and masculinity, but luckily, it changes course halfway to lean on the more bonkers side of the concept. As a result, we get a slightly uneven but pleasantly insane flick that embraces vicious fun unabashedly.
Before we arrive at the madness in the second half, though, we need to sit through a long(ish) yet intriguingly sinister exposition. Enter Jamie (Douglas Booth) and Maya (Hannah John-Kamen), a young London couple whose happiest night quickly turns traumatic. After Maya shares the happy news of being pregnant with her husband, the couple gets attacked by local hooligans, who break into their apartment. They beat Jamie up and drag Maya out of the toilet. Unexpectedly, it's she who stands up to the hoodlums by grabbing a knife and threatening to stab their leader. The encounter renders Jamie powerless and leaves scars not only on his body but masculinity too (or rather its lack thereof). We’ll see the mental repercussions of this later on.
Jump to months later, Jamie and Maya are on their way to a tiny Irish town to move into their new home. Jamie inherited a cozy little house from his great-aunt Maeve. The place is lovely and idyllic, and they can't wait to settle in. Even the jolly locals welcome them with open arms, especially Niamh (Niamh Cusack), an old friend of Maeve who gives them a tour in and outside the residence. There’s one odd thing, though: she asks the couple to leave a blood offering at the back garden for the Redcaps, aka the Little People (not Leprechauns!), who live in the woods. It’s a bizarre ask, but Maya says it’s a small price to pay for such a beautiful home. The bigger trouble they soon face comes with the infamously bad-natured Whelan family, who the two hire as builders to fix certain parts of the house that need immediate work. It won’t take long until the first alarming red flags present themselves from the Whelans and the little goblins lurking around the property — and that’s when things kick off.
Unwelcome requires some patience in advance since its first hour is a little slow, but the rewards, my God, are plentiful and worth every minute. Once the adorably off-putting tiny creatures are introduced, the film loosens up and unleashes a much-welcome hell on every character that deserves its lethal fate. By the time heads start to roll (quite literally), we have more than enough reasons to cheer for the violent obliteration of all members of the Whelan family.
The low-budget practical effects don't always blend in smoothly with every scene but still offer a B-film charm that aptly aligns with the feature’s comical tone. In fact, at its best, Unwelcome evokes Jon Dante’s cult classic Gremlins, which was admittedly among the inspirations that Wright drew from (alongside Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs). Also, the slayings are grisly and creative enough to elevate the flick from similar contemporary horrors. Stabbings, beheadings, and spilling guts are all on the table and being done tastefully so (well, at least for those of us who revel in such barbaric but satisfying cruelties).
If that wouldn't be enough, Unwelcome has some sick tricks up its sleeve, too. In the last 20 minutes, the turns keep coming when you least expect them, making it crystal clear the movie won't settle for a straightforward conclusion without shaking up a few plot points we learned earlier. Although this makes for a rather indecisive and messy ending that seems unsure of what note it wants to land on, it also provides a visceral mayhem soaked in blood, which is fittingly in line with the premise's kooky and grotesque approach. And even if that doesn’t make total sense, Unwelcome is still able to deliver a completely bonkers and wildly entertaining phantasmagoria. Trust me, it’s a bloody good time.
Last week, I had the pleasure to join in on discussing The Last of Us’ greatness in a feature I wrote for Paste Magazine about how the show creates a bond between its two protagonists by sacrificing others. I also gathered some behind-the-scenes facts about Tulsa King for Looper.
This week, I’ll cover some upcoming shows that many of you will want to watch for sure. Until then please share The Screen with someone who goes crazy for pop culture.