Unwelcome - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Unwelcome



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
I’m always timid about Well Go USA’s non Asian film releases. Not because they’re guaranteed to be a train wreck and completely awful, but because they can be so hit or miss. HOWEVER, that is also the biggest benefit. This misses are to be expected with low budget foreign affairs, but also you can introduce yourself to films that you never would have normally, and that’s exactly what happened with Unwelcome. Hailed as Straw Dogs meets Gremlins (with a hint of The Strangers thrown in for good measure), Unwelcome is a unique story that welcomes all of the zaniness of the compared to Gremlins, with some nasty body horror and Irish folk lore that culminates in an absolutely crazy ending that actually took me by surprise (which actually caused me to sit up and take notice, as I was sure I knew how the film was going to end).

Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) and Jamie (Douglas Booth) are a happily expecting set of lovebirds who find out that Maya is pregnant on the same night when the two are assaulted and beaten in their London flat. Moving away from London to Ireland when Jamie’s aunt dies mysteriously, the couple attempt to start over in a completely different environment from which they were accustomed to. Jamie is racked with guilt over being unable to save his Maya from the attackers from the beginning of the film, releasing his anger and self loathing on his girlfriend a bit too much, and Maya lives with the trauma of being too scared to really defend herself from the thugs as well.

To make matters worse the house that they moved into needs some serious work, and the only people available to do the repairs are the raucous and creepy Whelan family, headed by “Daddy Whelan” (Colm Meaney). Things seem to be going well, but soon enough the Whelan family’s darker side comes out and what seemed like awkward callousness turns into a near sexual assault that leaves the youngest Whelan son dead by mysterious circumstances. Naturally Daddy Whelan is not about to let the death of his son go unpunished, and the entire clan sets out to give the unwelcome London visitors a taste of the Irish countryside. That is, until Maya calls out for help and receives it from the most shocking of places.

I’m not going to give away all the twists and turns, but Unwelcome genuinely surprised me. It may have some pacing issues in the first act, and have more than it’s share of Irish folk lore regarding the little folk, but it is a surprisingly entertaining film. The tone jumps between cheeky and jokey, to full on gore and guts blood and mayhem the longer the film goes on. Soon turning from a creepy jump scare movie to full on mystical slasher, complete with gremlin like little folk gutting people like pigs, tearing limbs off, and creating their own form of mystical justice.

Reading interviews from director/co-writer Jon Wright, he went full bore crazy with the story, and was given enough creative license that he could do whatever he wanted. In a way, I’m glad he did, as the story is absolutely bizarrely entertaining, and I don’t think it would have the sheer enjoyment factor that it does have without that zaniness. The ending was telegraphed a mile away if you know anything about the Rumpelstiltskin style of fae little folk, but Wright takes a sharp left turn in the final act, turning it from a predictable “oh I know this Grimm fairy tale” into a twisted take on the old little folk story, and made it completely his own.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Like usual with Well Go USA releases, I could find very little information about what cameras or resolution was used for the filming of Unwelcome. According to a few places there is evidence of Panavision cameras, but no definitive information of anything beyond that which I could find. My guess is naturally that this was a 2K resolution master due to the low budget, but the end result is a quite appealing looking 2.39:1 AVC encoded disc. The film has a very detailed and nuanced digital look to it, with an almost dreamlike look that is complete with parchment tones, bright greens and an almost watercolor palette when they get to Ireland. There is also a strange fish eye type look to the camera when anyone goes into the forest, which distorts and warps the edges of the screen. Black levels are very strong, with only a few hints of the typical banding we would expect from Well Go USA Blu-rays.









Audio:

A simple 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix and a 2.0 stereo mix in lossy Dolby Digital are the tow tracks found on board, and the DTS-HD MA mix is MORE than worth listening to. The track is quiet and constrained when needed and we’re talking in the pub, or in the apartment, but it also gets bombastic and rather heavy on the bass at a moment’s notice. The scene with the thugs crashing in at the beginning of the movie slams hard and powerful, and the moment the score kicks up with the little folk wreaking havoc in the home, things get real powerful REAL quick. Dialog is spot on, though sometimes the Irish brogues gets a bit thick for this poor American Schlub to pick up properly.












Extras:

• Behind the Scenes - Featurette
• Behind the Scenes - FeaturetteMaking the Redcaps - Featurette
• Behind the Scenes - FeaturetteOriginal trailer

Final Score: ​

Is Unwelcome perfect? No it most certainly is not. There’s some weak dialog, some pacing issues, but overall I find this one to be right up the niche horror fan’s alley who wants a cult film. It fitis right in with films like Dog Soldiers and Straw Dogs for being off the wall foreign horror that balances multiple genres at the same time, and does so rather well. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, although there’s a fairly mediocre set of extras found on the disc (although more than you usually find with Well Go USA releases recently). Recommended for cult horror fans.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Hannah John-Kamne, Douglas Booth, Colm Meaney
Directed by: Jon Wright
Written by: Mark Stay, Jon Wright
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 101 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: May 9th, 2023

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Never heard of this one. Will check it out.