6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Londoners Maya and Jamie who escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland only to discover malevolent, murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden.
Starring: Hannah John-Kamen, Douglas Booth, Colm Meaney, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Kristian NairnHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Unwelcome might be perceived to be the second relatively recent release from Well Go USA which, like Well Go USA's release of Death Knot, would seem to be angling to be included in a second volume of All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror, even if that compendium actually came from Severin Films. Unwelcome has many of the "classic" aspects of folk horror, including big city types who supposedly "escape" to a "safe" rural environment, only to meet with some extremely peculiar locals, of both the human and perhaps inhuman varieties. Adding to the tension of the story is the fact that focal female Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) is more than a little pregnant, which gives the goings on a kind of subliminal Rosemary's Baby aspect, at least in terms of this particular "damsel in distress" being with child and surrounded by people (and, well, creatures) who may have ulterior motives.
Unwelcome is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The closing credits roll only list Panalux and Panavision as identifiable technologies, and I haven't been able to find any verifiable technical information otherwise, but this is a frequently very appealing and well detailed digital capture that I'm assuming had a 2K DI. The best moments are perhaps expectedly some of the outdoor scenes, though I have to say it certainly looked to me like some of the "yard" footage featuring Maya and Jamie was done on a studio set, while other moments were obviously really shot outside. One way or the other, the brightly lit daytime material really pops very vividly with some commendable fine detail levels (pay special attention to some of the thick fabrics the locals wear, where textures are virtually palpable). There are a number of stylistic bells and whistles that show up interstitially, often for rather brief moments, where the imagery is intentionally distressed and quasi- noisy looking. Some of the dark material, notably a lot of the nighttime forest imagery, doesn't offer a wealth of fine detail.
Unwelcome features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Christian Henson's well considered score offers some good support for the tensest scenes, and provides a lot of subliminal angst at other times, creeping through the side and rear channels in a kind of sinister way. Early scenes like the street toughs breaking into the apartment, but then especially a lot of the later material outside, offers really good placement of ambient environmental effects in the surround channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, despite some "local" accents. Optional English subtitles are available.
Kind of interestingly, the forests that are at the heart of both this film and Death Knot bear more than a surface similarity, and they're both full of some seeming ill intent. Unwelcome doesn't totally succeed, but it's often quite interesting. I think the film may actually have benefited from CGI for the menacing Red Caps, since the prosthetics are just a little comical, and the actors portraying the creatures seem more like marauding children than frightening forest sprites. Technical merits are solid and the supplements enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
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