“Lose the scarf, freak” is the first useful bit of advice Raymond (Matthew Gray Gubler) receives from a mostly unhelpful guidance counsellor – that’s also the last thing she says to him, but he’s just left the room. The humour in this opening scene is wry and biting, and sets us up for the rest of Suburban Gothic – fast dialogue, middle class malaise, deadpan humour, and sinister overtones to what is an otherwise sunny suburbia.

After graduating from business school and unable to find a job (he’s holding out for something in “upper management”), Raymond is forced to move back in with his parents. But that, and his “European approach” to fashion, is the least of Raymond’s problems. When contractors working on his family’s home discover a little girl buried in the backyard, a series of strange and creepy events begins. Raymond, who possesses the unexplained ability to channel the paranormal, recruits Becca (Kat Dennings), a badass goth bartender and the only other person to believe him, to figure out the supernatural mystery in his backyard. Cue angry dads, floating heads and ear-splitting screams.

Suburban Gothic is generally well paced and starts off strong, although it begins to lose steam towards the end. But when the storyline lags, the film makes up for it in writer/director Richard Bates Jr.’s script, which is stocked with endless wisecracks and physical comedy, further heightened by candied colours and cartoonish special effects (hole-y hands, rolling eyeballs, peeling toenails). It has a well-rounded cast with solid performances, particularly from Ray Wise and Barbara Niven as Raymond’s parents. Some of the best moments in the film involve Raymond and his father, as they disagree over everyday things, like whether the Mexican contractors speak Mexican (they don’t, it’s Spanish, but apparently, only “People from Spain speak Spanish”). While there’s little chemistry between Gubler and Dennings, it’s easy to forgive and forget because they’re damn funny in this film.

In his sophomore effort (following from 2012’s Excision), Richard Bates Jr. serves up a slice of Middle America, filled it with plenty of chuckles, and frights that are more delightful than they are gruesome and nightmarish. With witty dialogue, screwball characters and goofy charm, Suburban Gothic has the makings of a cult classic to come.

Suburban Gothic screened at the Sydney Underground Film Festival