Director Jon Wright here returns to the comedy/horror arena of his earlier films Grabbers and Tormented, and Unwelcome has a similar feel to both. After an unpleasant urban home invasion opening, a young couple (Hannah John-Kamen and Douglas Booth) relocate to the Irish countryside having been bequeathed a rural cottage, but find it is not quite as idyllic as they hoped, thanks to a challenging family of builders they hire to work on their new home and ancient malevolent goblin-like creatures who live in the wood at the bottom of the garden. John-Kamen and Booth are good value as the besieged couple and have a credible on-screen connection, and stalwarts including Colm Meaney, Chris Walley and Niamh Cusack give the rural Irish stereotypes some heft and presence, with a particularly nicely-judged performance by Kristian Nairn. The first half may be too slow-burn, but the full-on finale has a gleeful energy and final descent in madness reminiscent of Ben Wheatley. Director Wright achieves a good balance of humour and horror similar to his earlier films but here with a much darker edge, making Unwelcome quite...welcome.
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