Novelist Ohm Bauman (Andrew Scott who you may know from Severance and Parks and Recreation but I will always remember from Hellraiser: Bloodline) journeys to an old Irish inn, looking to scatter his parents ashes at the spot where they honeymooned and always wanted to return to. Impossible for them because mom was murdered shortly after and dad became a drunken monster before eventually passing on. As is custom with quiet Irish inns, he gets himself ensnared in the machinations of a local legend said to haunt the property. The witch supposedly haunts the off-limits honeymoon suite and there’s more than a few stories about her. Ohm finds himself back there during the off season and unraveling a mystery that drags him deep into horrifying waters and dangerous secrets. Damian McCarthy (who impressed with Caveat and then blessed the genre with Oddity) lays the atmosphere on thick as he works masterfully again with the understated terror he manages to find in every inch of open space and shadow. There’s a level of hostility working under the fibers as well that fits so well into the “stranger in a strange land” foundation the folkloric horror and human corruption is built on. It also impressively has an ability to take things in unexpected directions without feeling like it’s cheating. Ohm is a dick but he’s able to remain charming because Adam Scott is really good at that character flaw and we also get enough backstory to find reason in those flaws. Hell, he even manages to convincingly slip into a slight selflessness. McCarthy has invented this world where specters exist, sometimes even making themselves known and he just keeps deepening its mythology. It’s a place where nobody in their right mind would want to go but I am always willing to visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment