Review: ‘The Unfamiliar’ mines spooky Hawaiian mythology against a PTSD backdrop -

PTSD and other psychological scarring from wartime is well documented. In fact, researchers indicate “war-induced psychological trauma likely goes back as far as warfare itself, with one of its first mentions by the Greek historian Herodotus.” You examine such landmark conflicts as the American Civil War, The Vietnam War, and more recently the Afghanistan turmoil, and you’ll notice PTSD symptoms are largely similar: hallucinations, physical pain, and the like. Director Henk Pretorius, who co-wrote the script with Jennifer Nicole Stang, employs such mental damage as the jumping off point in his latest feature film, The Unfamiliar.

Jemima West portrays British army doctor Elizabeth Cormack, who has just returned home from war, and her physical scars hint at wounds far deeper than even she realized. As Elizabeth (or “Izzy” as she’s affectionally nicknamed) attempts to reconnect with her husband Ethan (Christopher Dane), daughter Emma (Rebecca Hanssen), and son Tommy (Harry McMillan-Hunt), her PTSD spills out and distorts any grip on reality, igniting a series of bizarre events that lead her to believe a demonic entity has taken hold on her life. These occurrences ⏤ from a sink’s faucet exploding and spraying water everywhere to a hallucination of Emma skewering herself with a candlestick ⏤ quickly escalate, and Ethan suggests a family getaway to Hawaii.

As one might predict, a change of location doesn’t quite do anybody any good. In fact, it makes matters worse ⏤ playing into Pretorius’ smart use of ancient Hawaiian mythology to turn the psychological screws tighter. Such a serene countryside grinds in stark contrast to an unseen presence whose power is simply feeding off Elizabeth’s swiftly cracking emotional state; with PTSD chipping away her edges, her core collapses and spirals into an even more fragile place.

The Unfamiliar purposely retools genre tropes ⏤ including the husband’s frustratingly rampant disbelief, the son’s evident aloofness, and paranormal markings like a séance ⏤ and thusly, the film takes a while to rev up. Aside from West’s outstanding, nuance-crafted lead (one that truly shatters the heart), the viewer may struggle to hold onto the well-trodden narrative. It nearly veers on tiresome ⏤ but the payoff comes in the third act, a wondrously unsettling imagining of the Hawaiian spiritual realm. Chilling and moody color grading tingles the senses, and when Elizabeth is forced to wade into the other side, an act of stunning valor to save her family, it is an intriguing, nightmarish wonderland.

The strength of The Unfamiliar‘s third act also lies in its creature designs, from the Kaimoni (demons) to the Mujina, a faceless woman figure from Japanese myth, and The Night Marchers, warrior-ghosts fated to suck souls out of everyone. Artful and striking attention is given to deliver ghoulish, frightful imagery that’ll run your blood cold.

The Unfamiliar tosses in elements of Insidious and The Others, too, and it’s not necessarily groundbreaking in its concepts. It is ultimately a fun little terrifying escapade with plenty of unexpected curveballs galore.

The Unfamiliar hits digital platforms today (August 21) in the states with a September 11 street date set for the U.K.