Unwelcome

It's not the straightforward horror I thought it was going to be or the one it started off as. Maybe a lot of other people took issue with that. It quickly becomes a beautiful-looking but slightly creepy fairy tale, before becoming a silly, violent black comedy in the end. I loved it all. It is sort of a dark cottagecore fantasy tale and I know that aesthetic is got right now.

The acting and cinematography are great (especially Hannah John-Kamen, who straight kills it), the special effects not so much. Still a very pleasant surprise. I did not think I would be as throughly entertained as I was.

Not a bad film , not an amazing film but somewhere in the middle .

Unusual lighting and set , felt like it was filmed on a film set / stage rather than in the beauty of the Emerald Isle apart from a few long shots of the UK registered Fiat 500 and a few port shots.

As a horror there were a few jumps at the end of the film the audience began to laugh but not during it which might mean that any comedy was more accidental rather than incidental although some of it seemed quite farcical but not in a good way it certainly was no Shaun of the dead Zomcom

At times it had a feeling of folk horror like The Wicker Man where strangers are treated as strangers and locals are sinister but where it could have developed that plot it veered off into its own multi genre horror

For horror it missed its prime release date of October and will probably only have a very short run so if you want an average horror with at times some reasonable viewing entertainment pop along

Best actor for me goes to The Dog ! Scariest character played by Jamie Lee O'Donnell and a well done to the live animation & cgi team for the little people

Average

Pad. A 5.5/10.

This isn't a film with wide appeal, but it's worth a watch by those who love the horror genre as a whole. The plot is simplistic, wacky, a bit trashy, often forced, sometimes non-existent but entertaining. It doesn't take itself seriously at all. Even in its darkest moments, it's surreal and nonsensical.

This isn't a film for new horror fans who have come to the genre on the back of social commentary works like Get Out. Nor is it a film for those who prefer the current trend of slow-burn, artistic films like Hereditary and Midsommar.

If you enjoy films like Grabbers and Doghouse, you should be able to appreciate the fast-paced nonsense that is Unwelcome.

Theres something endearing about this odd film.

Initially the outdoors shots look eerie and as if they are filmed in a studio.

The central couple are not entirely convincing. Its not clear why she would be with such a socially inept and irritating loser. And he is really irritating.

The Irish stereotypes come thick and fast as we are introduced to a strange combination of characters.

Always nice to see Niamh Cusack.

The builder family are just too weird-but-played-straight to take seriously. Theres just no way you would have them in your house, having met them.

There are various other totally unbelievable plot points .

The first time I saw the red caps I laughed out loud. Noone else did (though there were only 4 people in the cinema). I laughed at various other points as it all became more unbelievable.

The red caps are actually quite likeable little chaps that seem to have a sense of humour as they kill or are killed.

The whole thing feels a little 80's straight to video, but thats not a totally bad thing. Its got a quirky likeable quality.

It goes off the rails in the last 20 minutes, leaving one to question what they have just watched at the end.

Unwelcome

Well this was a strange one, I can't say much otherwise I will let the cat out of the bag, but basically a pregnant couple inherit a house in Ireland only to discover their aunt had an unusual past.

It was a great Irish yarn built upon very little, it was very weird, very quirky, extremely contrived and I am sure I laughed in all the wrong places.

However, even with its incredible script and at times hammy acting it was a very entertaining movies. You know, it was so bad, it was good! With that said much was tongue in cheek anyway.

It's not for everyone, but horror buffs will enjoy this, as did I! I'm giving this a firm 6 outta 10, (Gremlins, Dobby or Star Wars, who knows!)