The Visit

I love horror and some flat out just suck but I have been wanting to see this one.

Tyler and Becca are sent to see their grandparents, whom they have never met since Papa and Nana had a falling out with their mother years ago. Some bad blood between them and Mom wants to go on a vacation with her boyfriend so she sends the kids to meet their grandparents for the first time. They live on a rural farm in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and little internet access.

At first they seem like a normal old couple but soon after it becomes obvious something is off esp with Nana. They maintain in constant communication with their mother. It is obvious Nana does not like to talk about their mother so the kids are still trying to figure out what the estrangement is all about. Things then get weird! A good solid flick. Great job M. Knight for keeping me entertained and scaring me a little

This is Shayamalan's second film after the Last Airbender fiasco. It's a return to his light horror and small, contained story roots. The acting and script were good, and combined with the hand-held mockumentary conceit it felt very real. If you like Shayamalan movies and scary movies about crazy old people, give it a try.

The Good: The most surprising thing about this movie was how it uniquely found a way to be scary, but still include funny moments throughout the film. It knew when to be funny, and when to be scary, without mixing the two together. The scary parts will provide quite a few jump- scares, and in some scenes they will simply disturb you. The young boy, "Tyler" (played by Ed Oxenbould ), will quickly become a favorite in this film with his various remarks, "swearing", and "skills". I think it's fair to say that "Nana", played by Deanna Dunagan, does a really good job of playing the crazy grandma given all the versatile things she did in the movie. For some, the plot twist in the story will be mild, but good nevertheless.

The Bad: As we've come to know from director M. Night Shyamalan (The 6th Sense, Signs), the "big twist" is to be expected. Because of that, if you're an over-analyzer of movies like me, you'll probably see the twist coming from a mile away. So in that aspect, the story is mildly predictable. (That doesn't ruin the movie though) Many of the scary scenes you'll see coming, and for the most part are not terrifying to the point that will give you nightmares. It's very generic horror and scare tactics that we've seen before.

The Reason: Okay, so here's the real deal about this movie. M. Night Shyamalan is known for having a really bad reputation for putting out movies like Lady in the Water, The Village, The Happening, and others. He started off great with The 6th Sense and Signs, but since then, audiences have been generally disappointed. Luckily for The Visit, this movie was not one of his bad films. It was disturbingly funny and scary at the same time. This film is like his "makeup movie" to audiences. For example, in a relationship, if a guy messes up and constantly disappoints his girlfriend, he may give her flowers as an apology. Now the girlfriend may like the flowers, but that doesn't mean the boyfriend is completely forgiven. Shyamalan is in the same boat. The Visit is his "flowers" to audiences. We'll take it, but he's still got a lot more work to do to make up for all the other not-so-great movies he's given us.

Take caution if you decide to see it. It's a unique movie. Not a Hollywood blockbuster by any means, but I wouldn't be surprised if many would enjoy it. To see this movie I recommend: Go in with low expectations, pay the matinée price, and go with a friend or date. (You'll want to talk about it afterwards)

The Rating: 7/10

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I almost didn't see this film because of all the hate for it on this site. I was going to skip it - considering it wasting my time, but my wife insisted. Afterwards, I was pleasantly surprised and glad we watched it.

It's not really a very typical horror film. It's not even a typical M. Night film. It is scary at times, but mostly creepy. It leaves you glued, wondering what's going to happen next. Which is what a film is supposed to do.

It's low-budget. There isn't anybody in it you would recognize. Which, to me, made it seem more "real." It's not perfect. It does have some clichés, some jump out and "BOO!" kind of scares, which turn some people off. It is NOT a 'found footage' film. Reviewers who labeled it that don't know the definition. The young girl is trying to shoot a documentary and SOMETIMES you look through the camera lens as she's filming. But it's NOT the whole movie and nobody finds the footage. The camera is sometimes shaky, but they are kids, not pros, and it doesn't do that very long. It does have very few plot issues that you kind of have to "go with." What horror film doesn't?

But - I've certainly seen worse thriller/horror type movies. I've even seen worse M. Night movies. This is the best from him in years. The acting was decent and the characters seemed real and flawed. The story was intriguing and it kept you guessing. Just when it seemed like it might be getting long, it was over. Not my favorite movie, but certainly not as bad as people are panning it. It's worth your time if you like this sort of movie.

I'll make you a deal -- If you don't like horror thrillers, don't watch them or review them and I'll do the same for romantic comedies.

Now I am the first to admit you have to be in the mood for one of M Night Shyamalan's films. He intentionally tries to throw you off guard when you are watching one of hid films, you constantly question if all is as it should be, or quite simply is he messing with you.

I had ignored all info, trailers and chat about this film, as with all his movies once you know what's going on they change somehow, it's the first for a little while of M's films I can say I really enjoyed.

I won't go into too much of the plot, a single woman estranged from her parents receives an online message from them, she allows her two kids, Becca and Tyler to stay with their grandparents for a week. The kids use the experience to make a film, some behaviour they capture is rather inexplicable.

Excellent acting, but it's the kids that steal the show, I really thought they were brilliant.

At one point in the film my heart truly sank, I felt uneasy being the viewer, I felt powerless, and for that reason I give this film an 8, it's been a while since a movie has done that to me. A bit slow for the first twenty minutes, but the ending is worth the wait.