Connect with us

News

TADFF Review: Supernatural Comedy ‘Extra Ordinary’ Will Lift Your Spirits

Published

on

Extra Ordinary

Few things are as instantly uplifting as a good horror comedy. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but when done well, they can win over even the darkest of hearts. If you’re in need of a good laugh and a heartwarming story, quirky Irish horror comedy Extra Ordinary is a solid selection. 

Extra Ordinary follows driving instructor Rose Dooley (Maeve Higgins) who has done her best to suppress her former life as a psychic after her supernatural talents caused the accidental death of her father. When a ritual prepared by one-hit-wonder Christian Winters (Will Forte) leaves his daughter floating and possessed, Martin Martin (Barry Ward) calls on Rose to help, and she reluctantly agrees to dust off her skills to save the day. 

via IMDb

Written and directed by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, Extra Ordinary is a delightful feature film debut. Blessed with a quick wit and a perfect cast — including comedic heavyweight Will Forte (Last Man on Earth) and comedy darling Claudia O’Doherty (Love) — it skips through each scene with a lighthearted ease. 

Forte and O’Doherty ham it up, but they keep it at just the right energy so that it never feels excessive. Their passive bickering hits each comedic tone perfectly, really selling the exhausted nature of their relationship. They milk every scene for all it’s worth, and they’re both just so damn good at it.

Higgins as Rose is so instantly likable that you’re on board with her through the whole film. She has an innocent pleasence, and it’s thoroughly charming. Ward shows his versatility as an actor when his role demands a certain unexpected duality, which he pulls off to great comedic effect. 

via IMDb

Together, Higgins and Ward have great chemistry with an awkward yet endearing romantic shuffle. Rose is flustered by her feelings, and it’s a very sweet peek at the early days of love. She seeks a confidant in her fiercely supportive sister, Sailor (Terri Chandler); the two have a no-questions-asked acceptance that is actually quite moving. Relationships are a focal point in Extra Ordinary, easing the story forward and giving it a bit more depth. Each performance is well developed and played with full commitment. 

The film has a sensible enchantment; it’s modest with sparse yet well shot settings that are very down-to-earth. At risk of over-using the adjective, it’s just incredibly charming. The laughs are genuine and the spooky bits are vital yet never heavy-handed. 

via IMDb

Extra Ordinary balances its humor with its horror very well. It’s definitely skewed more in the comedic direction, but it uses horror elements as a baseline and jumping off point for the story. Demons, dark rituals, sacrifices, and lingering spirits are the bread and butter of the film — literally everything revolves around the supernatural in one way or another. But because of the lighter tone, Extra Ordinary is broadly accessible. You could watch this with a friend who has no interest in the horror genre and they’d have a good time. 

That said, there’s an excellent bloody surprise or two to keep your baser needs satisfied. The comedic vibe is ever-present, but it’s not at all afraid to dip into the dark side. As far as horror-comedies go, Extra Ordinary is rather sly. Where some films in the subgenre can feel a bit disjointed — jumping between tones and tripping in the process — the film’s two sides layer rather than compete. The story requires both to really work. The team of Ahern and Loughman have quickly found their footing, and as a result, Extra Ordinary hits the ground running.

Cheeky, charming, and completely enjoyable, the film spins a supernatural tale with a good sense of humor and pitch-perfect performances. If you’re in the mood for a horror comedy with a lot of heart and a great ghostly story, let Extra Ordinary lift your spirits.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

Published

on

In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

News

Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

Published

on

Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading