UNWELCOME, DIRECTED BY JON WRIGHT

there is always a sense of unease and danger bubbling under the surface until it explodes for the fantastic finale where Maya comes into her own and becomes the mother of all heroines. 

A couple escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland, only to hear stories of mysterious creatures who live in the gnarled, ancient woods at the foot of their garden. As warned by their new neighbors, the creatures come when called to help souls in dire need of rescue, but it's crucial to remember that there's always a dear price to pay for their aid.

Release date: 27 January 2023 (UK)
Director: Jon Wright
Written by Mark Stay 

#UnwelcomeMovie

We all know that when it comes to horror movies, isolated villages are places for local people only. When out-of-towners, especially those of an English disposition, decide that it would be a good idea to move to a village in the Celtic lands, things will never work out for the best.  


2014's White Settlers and 2018's  Matriarch are prime examples of this trope, and this year's entry in the Gaelic Tourist's Board list of films you shouldn't watch if you fancy a move to the country, the rather excellent  Unwelcome, cements the notion that country life isn't for everyone.


When Jamie and Maya should be celebrating the news that they are expecting their first child, their life gets turned upside down after a brutal attack and home invasion from a trio of thugs. Reeling from the attack, they decide to up sticks and move to a new home in rural Ireland, inherited from Jamie's great-aunt after her death. 


But when they arrive, they see that the house is in desperate need of building work, so they decide to hire the Whelan family as builders to do the work. However, tensions soon begin to overflow between the Whelan's and the couple soon find themselves at odds with them. 


However, that is the least of their problems, as the lands are troubled by a breed of the Fae Folk, known as the Red Caps, and these are no Tinkerbells; at best, they are a mischievous breed, and at worst, they are a murderous bunch. However, if Jamie and Maya obey the rules, everything will work out fine.  


We always follow the rules, don't we? Don't We?

I have been waiting for over a year to watch Unwelcome; it first hit my radar when I saw the author Mark Stay talking about having written the story for the film. That immediately got the hairs on the back of my neck to stand to attention; I was a massive fan of his Witches of Woodville series of novels, with Unwelcome feeling like a natural extension of this excellent series of novels.  


The big question is, was the wait worth it, or is Unwelcome more akin to Troll 2?


Those of you expecting Unwelcome to be of a similar tone to Jon Wright's previous Irish horror movie, Grabbers, need to be made aware that tonally, this is an entirely different movie; this is no boozed fuelled and humour-filled riff on Tremors. Unwelcome is a much darker and vastly more claustrophobic movie, and while it could have worked as a horror comedy, it impressively succeeds at being a straight-up horror movie.  


Central to the film's success is the double whammy from Wright's tight direction and the lean and mean story/screenplay from Mark Stay and Wright. One of the biggest problems facing modern horror movies is they go on for too long; now, I am all for character development, foreshadowing, and setting the scene, but when these take over from telling the real story, things become a problem. This is never a problem with Unwelcome. Within minutes the viewer is already on edge and shaken after the attack on Mamie and Maya, and that feeling is never allowed to fully fade during the length of the film.  


Wright and Stay don't miss a beat with regards to keeping the narrative flowing; there is never a lull in the proceedings, and while it takes some time for the action to fully kick off, the direction, editing and script all work seamlessly to keep the viewer invested in the movie.  


Some overused tropes exist, such as the town drunk encountering the Red Caps. However, there is a charm here that prevents them from becoming groan-inducing. And these minor quibbles are overshadowed by the impressive way in which the script tackles some heavy themes, such as the effect of the English in modern Ireland and how resentment towards them rightly still burns strong in some.  


However, the best theme in the film is how it tackles the male and female divide. Typically in these sorts of movies, the woman is portrayed as a passive character, more in need of saving than actually being a positive force that takes actions and drives the story to the conclusion. This is not the case here. Maya is a force of nature; right from the off, we know she will not be a pushover; she is one who takes positive action when they are attacked in their home. She may not entirely go there at the start, but as the film progresses, she becomes stronger and stronger until the final act, where she becomes as wild and feral as the woods surrounding their new home.  


The flip side to this is her partner Jamie, bucks the trend of the white male hero and comes across as more of a whinny, unhappy character who is the root cause of many of the issues with the locals and the builders; there is a subtle arrogance to him, that gets under your skin. It's a refreshing take on the male/female trope in horror movies, which is entirely successful in its execution.  


Like all good horror movies, the Red Caps, for the most part, are kept to the shadows and the corners of the eyes; it is not until the final act that we get to see the creatures for what they are. And when we finally get a proper look at them, we are not disappointed; when I imagine the wee fae folk, this is precisely the sort of thing that haunts my mind. Their look is so good that I must be extra careful when walking through the woods near me, which has a goblin trail. There is a great 80's feel to them, which this viewer thoroughly appreciates; CGI creatures would not have worked here.  


In terms of performances, the whole cast handles themselves with great success; it was great seeing two giants of comedy holding the more dramatic roles here with ease; Jamie-lee O'Donnell as Aisling and Chris Walley as Killian were both excellent, even if I did wish that they were given even a tiny chance to flex their comedic muscles. However, it is Colm Meaney as Daddy Whelan who must get recognition for the stand-out performance in the film. Oh, my word, he is utterly captivating here; the way he says, "just call me Daddy", sent a massive chill down my spine; Meaney exudes menace with every second he appears on the screen.  


Unwelcome starts by unsettling the viewer, and it never lets up. An intensely claustrophobic movie that uses the isolation and dissociation of being an outsider in a closed community to significant effect; there is always a sense of unease and danger bubbling under the surface until it explodes for the fantastic finale where Maya comes into her own and becomes the mother of all heroines. 

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