Unwelcome (2023) spoiler free review
Break a promise, pay the price. Unwelcome is a 2023 folk horror film directed by Jon Wright, and co-written by Wright and Mark Stay. It was released in United Kingdom and Ireland on January 27, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Previously scheduled for February 4, 2022, then moved up to October 28, 2022, then to its current release date. The film was released on June 23, 2023 in the horror streaming service Shudder.
Married couple Maya and Jamie escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland only to discover malevolent and murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden.
Film synopsis
The cast includes Hannah John-Kamen (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City) as Maya, Douglas Booth (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) as Jamie, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell as Aisling, Colm Meaney (Con Air) as Daddy Whelan, Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones) as Eoin, Niamh Cusack as Niamh, Chris Walley (1917, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) as Killian, Paul Warren as Redcap Mr Sniff, Rick Warden as Redcap Chief, and Ania Marson as Mother Redcap.
My opinion
After reading the synopsis and watching the trailer the least I was expecting was that Unwelcome is more of a home invasion horror film than a folk one. Opening with the protagonists Maya and Jamie just finding out that she’s pregnant, the celebration doesn’t last since they’re attacked in their own apartment in London. A few months after the attack the couple moves to rural Ireland after Jamie inherited a house from his great-aunt Maeve after her death. What looks like a fresh start will quickly turn into their biggest nightmare.
Unwelcome feels like two films merged into one. While it presents beautiful shots of the Irish countryside the messy scrip and unlikeable characters make this film hard to watch or end. The main attraction of the film, the elfs known as Red Caps, are only present in the last fifteen minutes. For a folk horror movie that focuses on that creatures it doesn’t even make sense, just like the scrip. The storyline is all over the place and doesn’t connect with what the film is supposed to be. The concept is original but is poorly executed.
The acting is decent at best but the majority of the characters, specially Daddy Whelan and his family, are unnecessary rude and unbearable. If that was the purpose then they achieved it, you won’t even feel sorry for their outcome. The creatures needed more screen time since they could have be the only salvageable aspect of the film. The practical effects are also decent but not outstanding. There’s a plot twist at the end that unfortunately doesn’t provoque any emotions even when is not predictable. The ending feels as senseless as the whole film making this film a one-time watch.
Unwelcome is now available on Shudder.