Written and directed by Ben McQuaid and Nathan McQuaid, three down-on their luck graduates struggling to find their place in Glasgow become embroiled into a shape-shifting alien conspiracy to take over the job market and destroy Scotland. Starring: Danny McAllen, Stan Ross, Ruben Ross, Matthew Crawford Russell, Annabel Logan and Paddy Kondracki.
If ever there was a genre which wholeheartedly embraces filmmakers getting out there and bringing something to life off of their own backs, it’s horror. For as long as the genre has existed there’s always been low-budget passion projects bringing simple, crazy, whacky entertainment to every pair of eyes they can get their hands on. Welcome to G-Town is a great addition to that club, it’s thrifty, fun and unapologetic. It’s not trying to be something it’s not, it’s doing as much as it can with what it can get.
Not worrying about trying to bring in special effects and making things clean and polished, is really the best thing Ben McQuaid and Nathan McQuaid could have done. Using those practical effects takes it back to B-movie slasher flicks of the 1980s and that’s always a fun bit of nostalgia. Having those basic masks for its aliens and just throwing a bit of purple coloured blood or green hands here and there was the right choice to make Welcome to G-Town stick to its homegrown roots and have a good time. It’s not always an easy thing to have the confidence in that and not feel pressured to perfect the aesthetic or glamorise things a little, so it’s refreshing to see this cast and crew truly commit to it and sell this story.
The plot itself is fairly simple, and the tone feels a little The World’s End meets Without Warning, Invaders from Mars or Killer Klowns from Outer Space. There’s a threat from an unknown otherworldly entity and a group of friends who are still figuring themselves out, and a penchant for theatrics. It also perfectly fits into that evolution of coming-of-age films spilling out of the teens and into twenty-somethings, because no-one has their life entirely sorted out at that age and the world only gets more complicated. As well as having plenty of Glasgow in-jokes and it holds that quintessential hometown trait of you can only say it’s shit, if you’re from there.
While it does have that very homemade aesthetic, it has a surprisingly strong presence. Danny McAllen, Stan Ross and Ruben Ross feel natural and lead the story well. The performances from the actors playing Welcome to G-Town’s extra-terrestrial visitors are also unexpectedly a highlight. They have a good sense of humour, and they feel very much like a throwback to 1970s British cinema and television.
It’s hard not to admire the passion, commitment and enjoyment that Ben McQuaid and Nathan McQuaid have instilled in Welcome to G-Town. It’s scrappy, entertaining and lovingly embraces the B-movie spirit. It’s nicely self-aware, the direction keeps things moving and feels slightly reminiscent of Spaced. The writing doesn’t overcomplicate itself, and the use of practical effects is satisfying in a greatly messy way. The cast all really dive in headfirst with the over the top nature of the story, yet they never go overboard or feel too silly, which is great to see. It’s a nice reminder to not be held back by budget constraints, to get creative and go for it.
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