As I'm working on a book on Folk Horror television right now, I'm always eager to watch anything that might be categorized as Folk Horror. Jon Wright's Unwelcome (2022) is a demented little film that I really enjoyed, as it combines home invasion, folk horror, and creature feature into a fun package. Yes, I'm "spoiling" the film a bit by highlighting the home invasion in my caption, but this break-in provides the motivation for Maya (the always fabulous Hannah John-Kamen) and Jamie (Douglas Booth) to move into his Aunt Maeve's place in rural Ireland. A helpful neighbor, Neve (Niamh Cusack) impresses on the couple that Maeve practiced "the old ways," and that she left a blood offering for the Redcaps nightly, in order to satisfy their hunger. When Maya takes this information in, she finds it quaint and rather silly; she's a Londoner, so she has no clue what Irish folklore--and stories of the far darrig--might entail. Of course, all this "discussion" gets viewers primed for the Redcaps, and inevitably, Maya forgets to put out an offering, so....
Since Maya and Jamie have a huge hole in their roof, amongst other home repair issues, they hire a local Irish family, The Whelans, to do the repairs. Led by "Daddy" Whelan (Colm Meaney), this bunch are stereotypically scary country folk who harass the new homeowners at every turn. This rough bunch come across as shockingly similar to the home invaders that attacked the couple at the film's beginning, and the locals are not fans either. The Whelans bring the necessary conflict to make the heavily pregnant Maya even more terrified in her new home. Thus far, the supernatural elements seem less threatening than the Whelans.
Maya lets her curiosity lead her into the land of the fae, behind an ancient wooden door. Here she finds a mystical forest, and an underground series of tunnels. She also happens to encounter Eion Whelan (Kristian Narn), an abused son of Daddy, who takes a liking to Maya and her kindness. As soon as spectators think that Maya and Eion are bonding, he takes things too far and Mays screams for help. Suddenly and brutally, Eion is pulled off of her, and she tears out of there, running in terror back to her home.
Once Jamie returns home, he finds Maya terrified, recounting the story of what happened in the forest beyond the door. Jamie doesn't believe her, and goes off to the pub, thinking she has "baby brain." While he's away, she has a visitor.
The film takes a rather drastic tonal shift once we see the Redcaps for the first time, as they are rather hilarious in a Jim Henson kind of way, rather than a terrifying way...until they bring Maya a gift--Eion's head in a plastic bag. That's around the time when the film goes bananas, and pretty much stays that way until the very end, with gallons of bloodshed, a surprise birth, a trip down to the Redcaps cave, and the anointing of a new leader for the Redcaps to worship and revere. Makes you want to move to rural Ireland immediately. NOT.
While Unwelcome hits many familiar notes, it's the Redcaps that keep you glued to Maya and Jamie's struggle. The film is equal parts menacing and goofy, making for a relatively light-hearted, fun watch in the end. It's not particular frightening, but horror doesn't always have to be, especially when a film deliberately injects comedy into its veins. Definitely worth a watch. Unwelcome is streaming on Shudder right now.
