The Uninvited

The Uninvited is not your typical horror film and that's a good thing! I didn't see the original movie (2003 South Korean horror film called "A Tale of Two Sisters") so I can't say if it's better or worse but on it's own it's a great psychological horror film! The plot is good. There's a really great character development and the build up to the end is done really well. Really keeps the viewers engaged. I especially liked the movie's atmosphere. It was scary, creepy and intense and not your typical dumb slasher. It's a mix of psychological thriller and horror in one movie. You won't find moronic characters, cheap jump scares and tons of gore and nudity in this film. Which, as far as I'm concerned, is a good thing! I really don't understand the bad reviews! It might not be an Oscar Winner but so what?! As a horror/thriller it's really good. The cast and crew did an excellent job and I also enjoyed the beautiful scenery (most of the movie was shot at one location, a beautiful waterfront property in Vancouver, British Columbia). If you never seen it, give it a chance!

For my part, I find it excellent. I who usually hate horror movies, I really enjoyed The Uninvited, because it's not a horror movie, precisely. I would rather say that it's a thriller, particularly well done, which features Emily Browning, an amazing actress who plays well throughout the film. All the supporting roles are equally compelling, from the creepy stepmother to the protective sister and the ambiguous father.

But the real strenght of The Uninvited is its ending : completely unexpected, it is very well brought and remains logical with everything that has been showed to us previously, if we watch the whole thing again. A very nice surprise for me! 8/10.

It's not easy to make a horror movie these days. The critics will hate it by definition: their expectations are always high and mostly unsatisfiable. They will call them uninspirational, uninteresting, and not original enough. With time, the horror genre has become an underdog of the movie industry. Prior to watching this movie, I had no knowledge about the plot whatsoever and it turned out to be good for me. I won't beat around the bush: I'm not a horror fanatic, but this one, I enjoyed from the beginning until the very end and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The thing I appreciated the most was the great amount of mystery: at some point the movie becomes more a mystery movie than a horror movie. The plot is interesting at the very least: and it does make you think who the main villain might be. I personally had many guesses and I though I got it right, but the ending surprised me. And there's nothing I enjoy more than an ending I did not see coming. The surroundings are beautiful and the movie is very well shot. Visually, the pictures are very satisfying, another thing you would not expect. The acting is also professional, along the score: all these parts, I have no complaints about. The movie was, for some reasons I don't fully understand, certified as not fresh enough. I do agree, some moments are painfully cliché, but in this case, I found it charming. Isn't it a part of the horror movie to expect that a hand will try to reach you under the bed? It will make you jump in your place either way, so what's the deal? As long it's not cheesy, it's good enough for me. I think that if the creators maybe took a risk and avoided those couple of clichés, the movie would have been praised by critics. But who cares about their opinion anyway? The movie is really enjoyable and if that is what matters to you, don't hesitate and watch it. You won't regret it.

I haven't seen the original Tale of Two Sisters by Kim Ji-woon to begin with so I won't be able to do any meaningful comparisons. But if a remake is any indication of how the original is generally miles better, especially if done by Hollywood, hen it probably is worth my while to put the Korean horror movie in my to-watch list. After all, Kim Ji-woon's film is one of Korea's top box office draws when released.

There have been more misses than hits when Hollywood adapts what it thinks could be instant box office gold with its fountain of Asian content, and since there have been only a limited number of successful Asian horror releases in recent years, it had looked inwards and cannibalized on remaking its own shock/slasher films. This one took a long while to translate to The Uninvited, and I guess taking some 6 years indicated the filmmakers wanted to do things right instead of rushing through and come out with crap.

As such the directing duo of the Guard Brothers Charles and Thomas managed to find some balance between telling a psychological thriller, and moments where they can properly employ tricks from the usual formula book to scare an audience, with the usual light and shadows, smoke and mirrors, warped beings, decomposed bodies and jump cuts with ghouls staring down at you. Surprisingly it didn't rely on sound or lack thereof to add a further sensory dimension to set pulse racing, which I thought was a little let down in its moments to build up to the next "Boo!" If anything, the acting duo of Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, with pouty lips to rival Angelina Jolie's, and given special attention too in this narrative) and Arielle Kebbel shine as skimpily clad sisters Anna and Alex respectively, who have to rely on each other as they uncover the truth behind the death of their mom (Maya Massar). It doesn't help of course with Anna just being certified sane and safe to be released from a mental institution, and their suspect happens to be their nanny-turned-new-step-mom-to-be Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) whom dad (David Strathairn) intends to marry. Given the short run time of under 90 minutes, the pace is kept compact with little room wasted to pump in unnecessary subplots (unless set up just to provide an additional avenue to unleash horrific mayhem), focusing very much of the relationship between the two sisters, and their strained one with their father. Emily Browning, as the lead, of course had enough latitude to showcase a double-head snake role in being "nice" to Rachel, in order for some fishing of information.

That isn't to say there isn't any loophole that a jumbo jet can't fly through. Even if you have no background knowledge gained from the original Korean film, it is easy enough for sharp-eyed viewers, or those whose cinematic staple is horror films, to stay one step ahead and deduce just what is exactly going on. Which makes me wonder just how much it'll take for shockmeisters to scare seasoned audiences since they're getting savvier, and easily bored with the same old bag of tricks.

If anything, The Uninvited would have piqued your interest in the original, which has a longer run time and in all likelihood, the exploitation of mood and atmosphere that are quite standard tools for horror films from Asia, which is sorely lacking in this version. Nonetheless it's still one of the better Western remakes of Asian horror attempted.

The picture is a sleek production with acceptable budget and packs genuine chills , suspense , tension , and shocks , it's a terror-thriller very exciting . It deals with a teen named Anna Rydell(Emily Browning) , after spending a stint in a mental institution, return to the home of their father , a famous writer named Steve (David Strathairn) who is now living with her late mother's nurse, Rachel Summer (Elizabeth Banks) and both Anna and her older sister Alex (Arielle Kebel) think Rachel was responsible for her mummy's death in a seaside house blow up the year before . Once there, in addition to dealing with their stepmother's obsessive and cruel ways . Soon after her arrival , Anna also starts to receive warnings from her late ghost mother and three interfering children who affects her recovery . The Alex's sanity is also jeopardized thanks to her unbalanced stepmother , and aloof father . Another night Anna goes to sleep, she hears noises and the door to her bedroom creakily opens and meets the ghost . Terrified, she runs out of her room and tells her sister that someone has come into her room . Alex and Anna set out to look for proofs to demonstrate that Rachel is the killer.

This eerie movie produced by the successful director/producer Ivan Reitman displays terror, shocks, hard-edged drama , plot twists and creepy images . The story come to life in a wonderful fashion, giving it a haunting ominous atmosphere that often seems to mimic the tense relations between the members of the family . While the look is suitable atmospheric and scary , the argument stretches plausibility to the breaking point in a surprising finale . The film is an American remake of successful Korean film titled ¨A tale of two sisters¨ by Ji Woon Kim . It also contains the usual spooky phantoms of pale complexion from Japanese stories directed by Takashi Mike and Hideo Nakata as ¨The Grudge ¨ , ¨ The ring ¨ and ¨ Dark water ¨ . The direction is incredibly good , production design by Andrew Menzies , the cinematography by Daniel Landin , lighting, and especially the soundtrack by expert on terror scores Christopher Young , all are captivating. The motion picture is well directed by the Guard brothers , Charles and Thomas who create a powerful character study that blends chills , thrills , suspense and psychological drama in a cleverly devised plot that certainly offers more than the usual terror film . This is a frightening , psychological thriller, and familiar drama , all at their best that will appeal to horror buffs . Rating : Better than average . Worthwhile watching .