Film

Extra Ordinary

A scrappy Irish supernatural comedy where a frustrated driving instructor discovers she has genuine psychic powers—and hates every second of using them. It's deadpan and warm, shot through with genuine weirdness and a soft heart. Made for people who love oddball characters and don't need their horror-comedy to choose a lane.

TMDb rating3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like horror-comedy that plays its supernatural premise deadpan and small-scale, with a warm, slightly awkward Irish sensibility and jokes that land in the margins of the frame.

Skip it if you want the scares to hit hard or the story to keep a tight line; its loose, goofy energy and broad sketch-like gags can feel scattered over a 94-minute run.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a brisk, bright ride that keeps switching between eerie and silly, and let the oddball asides come to you rather than chasing a clear plot thread.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

What We Do in the Shadows2014

A mockumentary about vampire flatmates in Wellington that nails the same tone: absurdist, deeply kind, funny because the characters are real people dealing with ridiculous circumstances.

But The humour is dry and character-based rather than punchy. If you need big laughs every thirty seconds, this moves at its own pace.

What We Do in the Shadows poster

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010

Subverts the horror-comedy formula with two likeable working-class guys mistaken for killers. Same warmth under the weirdness, same affection for its underdog characters.

But The first act leans harder into conventional horror setup than Extra Ordinary does. Takes a few minutes to hit its rhythm.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil poster

The Ritual2017

British folk-horror with genuine atmosphere and character work that matters. Tense and eerie, but never loses sight of why you're rooting for these people.

But Considerably darker and more sustained in its dread. This one earns its scares rather than winking at them.

The Ritual poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Extra Ordinary

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Banshee Chapter2013

Both use earnest female protagonists discovering genuine supernatural forces in seemingly ordinary Irish or rural settings. Both balance dread with character specificity.

Found-footage horror that's actually atmospheric and strange, centring a woman investigating her friend's disappearance into a web of government experiments and cosmic horror. Seriously unsettling.

But Low budget and handheld footage will feel claustrophobic and disorienting. The found-footage format feels real, which also means long stretches of mundanity.

Banshee Chapter poster
More like this (8)

In Bruges2008

Irish-set dark comedy about failure and kindness with perfect tonal control. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are unforgettable, and the script moves between laugh-out-loud and genuinely moving.

But Violence and language are more brutal. The emotional stakes hit harder than Extra Ordinary's lighter touch.

In Bruges poster

Severance2022

Strange, unsettling corporate horror with a warm centre and characters you immediately care about. Adam Scott is understated perfection; the mystery pulls you through ten episodes.

But Episodes are dense and demand attention. Cliffhanger ending on season one will frustrate you if delayed gratification isn't your thing.

Severance poster

The Banshees of Inisherin2022

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson again, older and angrier, in a dark comedy about friendship ending. Gorgeous, funny, and surprisingly moving about loneliness.

But It's a two-hander on an island that feels claustrophobic by design. Bleaker than Extra Ordinary and less forgiving of its characters.

The Banshees of Inisherin poster

Young Sherlock Holmes1985

A adventure-comedy that treats its teenage protagonist's oddness as a gift. Fun action, genuine warmth, and a young cast discovering their abilities. Underrated gem.

But Dated effects and pacing. The mystery-box plotting is looser than modern audiences might expect.

Young Sherlock Holmes poster

Ghostbusters II1989

Shambling, good-natured sequel where likeable incompetents face supernatural bureaucracy. The chemistry between leads carries scenes that shouldn't work, and it's genuinely funny about failure.

But Considered the weaker entry for reasons that matter if you've seen the first. Relies heavily on already loving these characters.

Ghostbusters II poster

A Serious Man2009

Coen Brothers' dark comedy about a man whose life collapses while he searches for meaning. Deadpan, Jewish, and full of genuine pathos wrapped in absurdity.

But Deliberately frustrating and bleak. If you're looking for resolution or comfort, this deliberately withholds both.

A Serious Man poster

Three Colors: White1994

Both films centre on socially invisible, working-class protagonists (a driving instructor, a hairdresser) who stumble into supernatural or absurdist chaos while the rest of the world ignores them.

Kieślowski's Polish-French coproduction about a hairdresser's descent into Kafkaesque absurdity, shot with operatic precision. Strange, blackly funny, and structurally perfect.

But Slow, painterly, and entirely humourless on its surface. No comfort, no catharsis. Requires patience and active watching.

Three Colors: White poster

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter2014

Both feature determined protagonists with tangential relationships to reality, navigating bleak landscapes while nursing deep loneliness. Both are about people looking for connection in the wrong places.

A quiet, strange film about a Japanese woman convinced Fargo is real and travels to Minnesota to find the buried loot. Magical-realist and deeply melancholic, gorgeously shot.

But Extremely slow and deadpan. If you need plot momentum or emotional catharsis, this will feel like it's resisting you deliberately.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter poster

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