UNWELCOME
★★★
OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 104 MINS
DIRECTOR Jon Wright
CAST Hannah John-Kamen, Douglas Booth, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Colm Meaney
In the CGI era, practical effects are fast becoming a lost cinematic art; on that basis alone, we should welcome Unwelcome. Clearly influenced by 1980s critter horror-comedies like Gremlins or Ghoulies, this is a film that benefits greatly from the practical execution of its puckish perils. It tells the story of a young English couple (Hanna John-Kamen and Douglas Booth) who move to rural Ireland, where they encounter unfriendly locals and even unfriendlier leprechaun-esque goblins. It can be tonally jarring — there is surprisingly distressing violence towards a pregnant woman, yet it also has a giggly goblin who says things like “Silly billy!” — and has perhaps too many plot-threads. But when the lovingly-crafted monsters cause mischief, Unwelcome is a goofy horror treat.