A brother and sister are sent to their grandparents' remote Pennsylvania farm for a week, where they discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing.
Trailer
Reviews
John Chard
7
By John Chard
A grand time of things at the grandparents place?
The Visit is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie and Kathryn Hahn.
Becca and Tyler have never met their grandparents, their mother left that family home in acrimonious circumstances. Now the kids are off to spend a few days with them - and get far more than they bargained for.
If you ask some people then they will say that Shyamalan never had form to begin with, so to them this doesn't warrant being called some sort of return to form, what it does do is find him on sound footings. Veering away from big budgets and adopting a low-fi approach, this very much has him back in the spooky zone.
It's all very nutty of course, the premise and the (very good) reveal are hardly genre defining, but the unease is palpable, the mystery element strong and there's a bunch of genuinely freaky scenes. The last third is almost delirious as the story goes through its bad dream fairy tale throes, and the small cast are excellent, with Syamalan once again showing how good he works with young actors.
A good honest chiller that isn't purporting to be anything other than that. 7/10
Nathan
6
By Nathan
The Visit had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it falls flat due to the many drawbacks that are constantly present in M. Night Shyamalan's films. However, where this movie excels is with the fantastically paced tension. Shyamalan incorporates a mix of found footage elements with a bit of Paranormal Activity, creating something that is pretty unique and sinister. This film was one of the more terrifying experiences I have had in quite some time, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat, especially in the night segments. I am sure it helped that I was watching this on a laptop, at night, with headphones on.
The story itself is actually pretty unique. The creepy nature of the grandparents is unsettling but also incredibly grounded. They seem almost possessed at times, and the reveal at the end just makes the entire movie all the more frightening. Shyamalan does a decent job with the found footage elements, although it is nothing groundbreaking.
However, where this movie really begins to falter is with the screenplay and acting. Now, I do not put as much blame on the actors due to the horrendous dialogue that was written for them. This dialogue is so rigid and inorganic, making every interaction feel as though it was written by an alien trying to mask as a human being. This really messed with the pacing of the film and made certain parts of it very difficult to watch.
Overall, I give a lot of props for the creativity and the unsettling feeling it created in me, but Shyamalan definitely missed an opportunity to create a very special film. With a more polished screenplay and better acting, this movie could have been truly exceptional. Nonetheless, it is still worth watching for the unique and scary story that it tells.
Score: 65% 👍
Verdict: Decent
