The Parenting presents a premise that could easily become a melodrama or manic comedy of errors. A gay couple plans a weekend getaway with their family present, debating whether to break the news of their relationship and take it to the next level. That’s complicated enough, but the house they rented turns out to be haunted by a possessing demon. Humor and horror could be evoked from such a formula, and while the film does dabble in both, it adds extra jokes to go the extra mile of absurdity. It’s a horror-comedy, heavy on the comedy.

Such a film felt as though it had to go down this route with such a robust comedy ensemble. The romantic gay couple are played by Nik Dodani as Rohan and Brandon Flynn as Josh, with a solid amount of chemistry and tension in their bickering on everything from how to handle their families to taking drugs around their family. Their families are played up with quirks they slip into with ease. Lisa Kudrow and Dean Norris have a great dynamic, with Kudrow trying to assert herself and Norris trying to find the lighter side in everything with a well-worn smile. Brian Cox and Edie Falco are an acting couple built for bluster, and they have the presence of a squabbling couple with years of feuds and compromises. All three couples stay under the same roof for a weekend, leading to such awkward moments as guessing who is having sex in the house when they hear loud pounding at night.

The pounding, it turns out, is from a 400-year-old demon who resides in the house and bangs on the walls. Evoked from the Latin wi-fi password, the demonic force starts possessing the family, and we get all the possession hallmarks. Twisted heads, projectile vomit, and vicious words feel par for the course. But when you’ve got scenes of a possessed Brian Cox walking into a room naked and demanding everybody stare at his erect penis, that’s a comedy with no fear. It makes the more expected moments of small demonic dogs chewing on arms more clever than appearing as reheated leftovers of films like Gremlins and Krampus.

The film darts between displays of spooky horror and frustrating family discussions as they get trashed on wine and THC gummies. While everybody does well in this picture, Parker Posey gets to play up her role with a lot of scene-chewing brilliance. She inserts herself into this narrative as a conspiring force and an egotistical loser whose plan isn’t as devilishly clever as she may think. Worth noting as comedic backup is Vivian Bang, the best friend of the gay couple. Despite literally being late to the party, she gets in some decent jokes instead of being the only one in the room who can translate some Latin.

The Parenting has a fantastic cast and clever gags to be more than Meet The Parents in a haunted house. It leans into enough of the fun you could have with this premise while still making the characters like enough in all their squabbling to root for them and their relationships. It’s a chaotic family vacation that goes a little better than expected, where a CGI demon doesn’t have to carry the terror, a massive amount of puke doesn’t have to carry the comedy, and the romantic tension doesn’t have to carry the bog-standard drama. It all comes together as the film’s signature dish of Crazy Noodles, which is beautifully used for the Brian Cox barf moment.