Extra Ordinary (2019)
Directed by Mike Ahern
A driving instructor must use her other-worldly gifts to save a lonely man’s daughter from a rock star looking to use her for Satanic purposes.
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The debut feature film from writing/directing duo Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, Extra Ordinary more than earns its place among cheeky genre films like What We Do in the Shadows and Shaun of the Dead .
The horror-comedy, which screened at the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival, is reminiscent of pictures like Shaun of the Dead and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil in the way it mixes character-based humor with a spoofing of horror conventions.
A hilarious romp from beginning to end, Extra Ordinary will delight those who love films such as Ghostbusters and Shaun of the Dead .
Combining What We Do In The Shadows ’ dry wit, the punchy direction and genre fun-poking of Shaun Of The Dead , plus a proton pack’s worth of Ghostbusters gags (“I haven’t read it,” says Rose when Martin references the ’80s classic), Extra Ordinary is spirited in every sense of the word.
Although most reviews will probably compare this film to “Ghostbusters”—and not without reason—I found myself being reminded more of the equally inspired horror-comedy hybrid “Shaun of the Dead.”
This is not to say that Extra Ordinary isn’t silly; unlike Shaun of the Dead, another film to which it will inevitably be compared, you never get the sense that these characters are in any real danger, and there are moments where less patient viewers might feel that some of the comic business could be tightened up in interest of the plot.
It also might just be the best supernatural comedy since What We Do in the Shadows (2014).
Combining What We Do In The Shadows ’ dry wit, the punchy direction and genre fun-poking of Shaun Of The Dead , plus a proton pack’s worth of Ghostbusters gags (“I haven’t read it,” says Rose when Martin references the ’80s classic), Extra Ordinary is spirited in every sense of the word.
Extra Ordinary is clearly aiming for the Shaun of the Dead / What We Do in the Shadows kind of quirky parody, and it just about makes it, though it would have been even more enjoyable if we had gotten to see more of Vincent’s instructional videos.
Extra Ordinary makes for a solid blend of spooks and laughs, reminiscent of What We Do in The Shadows or the more recent TV spinoff Wellington Paranormal, but it has its own distinct voice, never feeling too derivative of those properties and carving out its own hilarious, strangely heartwarming story that I would be happy to revisit in a sequel.
Like the equally awkward cousin of What We Do in the Shadows imbued with the sweet zaniness of Mel Brooks’ best work, Irish paranormal comedy Extra Ordinary delivers steady doses of silliness and big laughs within a surprisingly polished package.
As in Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners (to which the plot bears slight resemblance), it’s clear that directors Mike Ahern and Edna Loughman have given thought to the rules of their ghosts and gifted individuals (much of which is made clear in hilarious, VHS-fuzzy clips of the late Vincent).
Ghostly comedies come in all shapes and sizes from the blockbuster-sized Ghostbusters (1984) to the under-appreciated The Frighteners (1994), but the best always seem to share the common trait of pairing their supernatural shenanigans with engaging and likable characters.
And all that derivative “Ghost Busters,” “Exorcist,” “Ghost Town” and “Ghost” stuff?
To get them to shove off, Martin must allow them into his body (think Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost).
Imagine if Whoopi Goldberg told Demi Moore to fuck off and then never came around in Ghost ?