Sometimes a change of scenery goes a long way. I grew up in Baltimore and never quite felt like the place I was supposed to be coming out of my teenage years and into adulthood. Growing up, it feels natural because that’s where your family and roots are. I didn’t really know any better. As I blossomed into maturity, there was a desire for Me. I toured with bands into the first couple of my adult years, creating great memories and lifelong friendships along the way - two of whom I still speak to on a fairly regular basis.
It should be mentioned that, at this point in my life, I was a Christian. I had undergone my own harsh degree of depression and longing for suicide before ultimately losing a friend to suicide. Long story short, I gave my life over to Jesus and went where I felt He called me. This is where the second chapter of my life begins. Following the touring, I settled down in a small town in Pennsylvania, but still experienced the same restlessness I found in Baltimore. My wife had lived in this small town the majority of her life and at that time it felt natural to be here.
We stayed until we moved to where we are now a little more than three years ago. We came because we felt led by God but much like Goldilocks trying each bed, chair, and porridge - this just felt right. I didn’t realize how much of the city I missed until coming into the state’s capital. There is a thriving art scene here that has challenged my creative endeavors and allowed the non-profit to grow in ways we never did before now. Sometimes a change of scenery can yield grand results for your mental health. I’ll talk about it more in the mental health moment but coming to Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital comes a film exploring these exact themes in Unwelcome.
The film tells the story of a couple expecting their first child who inherit a house and a disturbing secret as well. The disturbing secret in question actually happens to be fantastical creatures called “the Red Caps”. Think something like Ghoulies, Critters, or even Gremlins. They are small but vicious. Sadly, they are such a small portion of this story, which is frustrating given how the story aims to position them within itself early on. The lore behind them is given fairly early into the movie - think like in the first fifteen, twenty minutes. They are all over the film’s marketing as well, leaving one to think they would at least be the central threat of the film - but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In reality, we open up to our central couple being subjected to a brutal beating and then essentially a repeat event with the inherited house. Whether you’re talking about the bullies in the opening of the film or the ones we built up throughout the second and third acts, neither one is developed. This leaves the audience to endure one note characters that we’ve seen hundreds of times before Unwelcome was even conceived.
Development continues to be somewhat of an issue for the larger narrative being told here. While our leads in Hannah John-Kamen and Douglas Booth do see a change, only one of them really grows as a character. Some of this may fall to the writing by director Jon Wright and his partner Mark Stay, and some of it may fall to the actor. Have you ever seen one of those movies where it feels like one single actor is in a completely different movie from everyone else? That’s how Booth feels here. It’s painfully obvious that he is overacting in portions of this movie where he is attempting to express his character’s anger, but it lends more to the comical than it does serious.
The narrative also feels distracted from the story it’s attempting to tell. It’s not quite sure if it wants to commit itself to this horror fantasy with the Red Caps or if it wants to tell this anti-bullying story. Given how divided this film feels, the viewer is bound to experience some awkward pacing along the way. The story feels like it’s trying to illustrate both subplots to build towards a blood riddled climax which I must say, as a horror fan, this film does deliver some of those elements spectacularly. I would also dare to say that these are the only highlights of the film.
I desperately wanted more of the Red Caps once I actually got to see what they could do. I’m all for the less is more motive. It helps build up suspense and anticipation for the terror that is bound to arrive at the doorstep. The Red Caps welcome in a plethora of gnarly gags and beautiful practical effects. For the very few scenes the critters are in the movie, it feels like the narrative takes on a different life. Almost like an out-of-body experience where we leave the narrative we’ve been telling and jump into an adult and bloody version of the Goosebumps book, Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes.
Overall, Unwelcome is not a warm welcome at all but rather a divisive narrative unsure of itself. The acting of Hannah John-Kamen is one of the few saving graces of the film. Her character journey, along with the Red Caps, is one of the few reasons I would recommend this movie. The plot is muddled, the pacing is messy, and Douglas Booth is acting on Tommy Wiseau frequencies. Unfortunately this horror fantasy should be laid to rest.
Rorschach Rating:
Mental Health Moment: Keeping in line with my introduction, sometimes changing one’s environment can truly make the difference for your mental health.With Booth and Kamen’s characters, we see the positives and negatives of this to their mental health. In both locations, they are targets of bullying. While that’s not the case for the latter in the beginning, it becomes such by the film’s third act. Unwelcome stresses the importance of taking care of your mental health with living conditions like this. Booth’s character develops anger and it ultimately leads to him becoming a bully himself. Here is the thing to consider about unchecked mental health: it will ultimately leak out into other areas of your life. Booth allows his issues to lie dominant and ultimately it begins to take its toll on his marriage. The impact of your location and the elements around you play a much larger part in our mental health than we realize.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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