Wow did I love this one. It has also moved up McCarthy’s other films, Caveat and Oddity up on my To Watch list. This was a wonderful little horror movie that totally got under my skin and was just wonderfully creepy. It’s all mood, tone, and framing, and it works so well.

Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, a horror writer struggling with the end of his epic trilogy (which feels a little Stephen King Dark Tower, intentionally, I feel). He is taking some time in Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes at the Inn they first stayed at.

There is a sense of unease abounding throughout the film, and there is folklore and rumour aplenty here; there’s a honeymoon suite that is sealed off from the public because it’s haunted, supposedly, by a witch.

When one of the staff goes missing, following a dark night of the soul for Bauman, he feels motivated to find out what happened to her, and things get dark and creepy immediately after that. And Bauman, despite being a horror writer, is nowhere near ready for what he is about to encounter.

More mood than jump scare, I found this one supremely enjoyable as Bauman works to understand what is going on and simply survive.

The production design is fantastic; the film looks great, and McCarthy makes great use of his framing, his sets, and his actors. It’s one of those films that if you pay attention to all of it, you get so much more out of it.

And there are a couple of things towards the end of the film that make you rethink what you may know or think you know, and shift the perspective of the narrative for Bauman. And Bauman, brought to life by Scott, is a great character. He’s a bit of a tool, he’s incredibly flawed and he is carrying a lot of guilt that is haunting him as much as the inn does.

I watched this one because I liked the sound of it, and I like Adam Scott, and I walked away having enjoyed myself immensely. This is a horror film that I will happily recommend and share with people. There’s nothing graphic about it; it’s just creepy, unnerving, and beautifully shot.

And damn, it was a lot of fun. I had a number of moments when I was all “what the hell?!” and “nope,” and it was fun being in that situation with a horror film, as it doesn’t happen as much as it used to for me.

Really enjoyed this. Highly recommended. I want to watch this, The Shining, and 1408 back-to-back-to-back. It does feel very King-like, and I loved every minute of it.