Jamie has just inherited a cottage home in the Irish countryside. Taking it as a one way ticket out of their crime filled London neighborhood, he moves him and his very pregnant wife Maya to their new (and free) home with great relief. 

 

They think they’re about to embark on their cottage core dreams when things start to get hinky. Their new neighbor, Maeve, warns them to leave an “offering” in the backyard in order to keep the peace with the creatures of the forest, even offering to do it for them. Maya is confused but insists she can do it herself. 

 

Meanwhile, the house needs a ton of repairs. A man named Whelan and his not-so-promising three grown adult children take on the job. They grow more aggressive by the day. 

 

Maya forgets to lay out a plate one night and chaos ensues. Not only do the creatures reveal themselves to be magical gremlin goblins that go sicko mode, but so do the Whelans. This is where the film really had a decision to make, and it chose to grant the angry family chasing them around the house more screen time than the goblins. 

 

This was really unfortunate seeing as how they were the best part of the whole picture and the sole purpose I chose to watch it. The third act is really disjointed leaving the very end to feel like it doesn’t match the rest of the film. If they decide to do a sequel, these gabba-ghouls need to be the center of attention. They added so much whimsy and charm on top of being terrifying AF. Think Gremlins meets Krampus- and in Ireland. 

 

The story structure and the things they chose to focus on deflated the overall vibe than I was expecting. Either way I still had a fun time and really enjoyed the performances. Unwelcome is available now on VOD and Blu-ray!