Review: 'Extra Ordinary' is a horror comedy that mixes subtle verbal humor with not-so-subtle sight gags

Nothing like a quirky Irish horror comedy about paranormal investigators and a Satan-summoning rock star to take your mind off of the troubles of the world — and “Extra Ordinary,” making an earlier-than-planned opening on digital streaming, fills the bill nicely.

Rose, played by the comedian and occasional “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” panelist Maeve Higgins, is a driving instructor living alone in a small Irish town. She keeps a photo of her late father, Vincent, who helped ghosts find their way out of their cursed existence — until a tragedy for which Rose, who was 10 at the time, blames herself. Because of that, she refuses to use her gifts for detecting unsettled spirits.

Rose is pulled, reluctantly, out of her retirement by Martin (Barry Ward), who is forced by his teen daughter, Sarah (Emma Coleman), to confront the hectoring ghost of Martin’s late wife, Bonnie. Rose refuses the case at first, until she sees a sleeping Sarah floating high above her bed — a sign of a satanic possession. To save Sarah, Rose and Martin must team up to find other ghosts, for which Martin turns out to be an effective conduit.

But who’s calling the devil? That would be Christian Winter (played by Will Forte), a has-been American rock star living in Ireland off the dwindling proceeds of his one ‘70s hit. To appease his creditors and his avaricious wife Claudia (Claudia O’Doherty, from Netflix’s “Love”), Christian has signed a pact with Beelzebub, and must sacrifice a virgin on the night of the blood moon. And the last virgin he had waiting accidentally exploded before the ceremony could take place, so he’s scrambling for a replacement.

The writing-directing team of Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman make a free-wheeling debut here. The verbal humor is gentle but subversive, a contrast to the offbeat sight gags (a slow-speed car chase is a highlight) and the occasional flashes of supernatural grossness. The low-budget charm is on the same wavelength as the Scottish horror musical “Anna and the Apocalypse,” minus the great songs.

Higgins makes a charming movie debut, capturing the awkwardness of her singleton status and her spectral talents. Forte chews scenery hilariously in a showy role from which he squeezes every laugh. But the scene-stealer is Ward, who literally channels a cast of characters when ghosts temporarily inhabit the hapless Martin.

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‘Extra Ordinary’

★★★

Opened March 6 in select cities; opens Friday, April 3, on digital streaming through art-house theater websites — including SLFS@Home in Salt Lake City. Rated R for language, sexual content and some horror violence. Running time: 94 minutes.