Wellwood

Supporting cast members Lance E. Nichols and Keisha Castle-Hughes, as the sheriff and deputy, respectively, are also great. Nichols has killer comedic timing, and Castle-Hughes remains all-watching as to why she should have become an A-lister after Whale Rider hit. The four alien suit performers all deliver a lot through their body language and bring a sense of dread to Wellwood.

The design and look of the alien suit is brilliant. The head is clearly inspired by Pumpkinhead, creating an unsettling look from the first glimpse. The long claws are scary and fierce, while the neck tentacles are creepy and an inventive addition to the creature’s biology. The varying shades of blue used make the space creature stand out against the browns, yellows, and greens of the wooded setting. The minimal computer-generated imagery used is only there to augment the practical effects and suit of the alien, and it works very well.

“The design and look of the alien suit is brilliant.”

From a story perspective, everything involving the married couple and the moral quandary of using this alien creature for their own means is engaging on every level. What doesn’t work as intended is the deputy’s paranoia over what’s happening at the Wellwood estate with the newlyweds. The sheriff rightly calls her crazy, more or less, but it is off-putting and confusing to audiences as well. There are a trillion reasons Nick would be slightly awkward when the sheriff unexpectedly shows up early in the morning, and that has nothing to do with anything illegal. Point of fact, there are even more reasons a new husband and wife would not notice a power outage the first night of their marriage, such as only using candlelight to set a romantic mood. Her diatribes don’t fit into the narrative well at all and often come across as strange filler since the film only runs 89 minutes, including those scenes and the ending credits.

Wellwood is populated with well-rounded characters expertly brought to life by a game cast. When focusing on the marriage, the uncertainty of death, and the dangers of the alien, no missteps are taken. But when the sidestory of the deputy enters the fray, it just doesn’t quite work. This has nothing to do with Castle-Hughes’s performance but is due to the way the part is written. Still, there’s enough good here, especially the alien suit’s design, to make this an easy recommendation.