Ghost stories are as common as horror films that reveal humans to be the ultimate monsters. Writer/Director Dave Boyle combines both into Japanese supernatural chiller Never After Dark, elevating a conventional atmospheric haunted house with a unique approach to the supernatural. It’s that new wrinkle, along with an unwaveringly cool heroine, that sets it apart.

The premise is simple: a medium is hired to exorcise a newly acquired hotel of a restless spirit, one which quickly proves to be malevolent. In films of this ilk, it’d be typical to hang at least one of its mysteries on whether said medium actually possesses the faith or skills to complete the task. Never After Dark heads off that question immediately with the introduction to unflappable Airi (Shōgun‘s Moeka Hoshi) on her long drive to her newest gig in the remote countryside; the extremely proficient medium lives with the constant companionship of her dead sister Miku (Kurumi Inagaki).

Of course, Airi is met with skepticism from Gunji (producer Kento Kuji), the son of Teiko (Tae Kimura), the hotel’s new owner and excitable believer in Airi’s talents. It’s Teiko’s warm welcome and earnest pleas that have Airi ignoring her steadfast rule to never cross the veil or work past nightfall, when spirits hold far more power than during waking hours. While the hotel’s ghastly specter, The Gaping Mouth Man (Mutsuo Yoshioka, Chime), provides supernatural fright, it’s the living that’ll terrify Airi the most.

Moeka Hoshi makes for a rare vision when it comes to cinematic depictions of spiritualists. There’s an easy air about Airi that signals extensive experience in sending ghosts off to the afterlife, reflected in her calm demeanor and the infectious way she chugs beer while jamming to rock tunes on her day off. She’s even blasé about her sister’s warnings about the house’s unusual paranormal problem. It’s that chill personality that makes it easy to assume her asymmetrical haircut is a trendy style choice, right up until she reveals her ritualistic means of slipping into the ghostly realm to cleanse the house.

Boyle presents a fascinating character study at the heart of his midnight chiller, an intriguing antisocial protagonist far more comfortable with ghosts than people. It makes her direct, though polite, when dealing with the overbearing but sweet Teiko or her protective son, and instantly on guard when anyone beyond her employers comes knocking. The seasoned pro only cracks under pressure when it comes to human threats, of which Boyle finds a creative way to incorporate into his haunted hotel.

The paranormal rules and how Airi interacts with the dead keep things engaging, even when the supernatural scares can feel stale. Not just with her candle and zoetrope means of entering the veil, but in the way they appear only fleetingly in mirrors when Airi isn’t in her trance. It’s also worth noting that The Gaping Mouth Man is as unsettling as his name suggests, made more effective by Boyle’s smart staging to shroud the specter in as much mystery as possible until Airi discovers the full scale of the horror she’s battling.

The filmmaker also smartly contrasts his ghoulish appearance with the quiet elegance of Teiko’s hotel, nestled in a bucolic countryside with few neighbors. It’s that juxtaposition of a cool city girl at home with ghosts battling tangible enemies in a safe rural neighborhood, and Boyle’s blending of subgenres, that makes Never After Dark a fresh but cozy hug of a horror movie.

Never After Dark made its world premiere at SXSW. Release info TBA.