The Visit

Plot synopsis:
The film starts with 15-year-old Rebecca 'Becca' (Olivia DeJonge) interviewing her mother, Paula (Kathryn Hahn) for a documentary she's making about meeting her grandparents for the first time. Paula explains that as a teenager, she fell in love with her substitute teacher, and her parents didn't approve. Something happened when she was 19 that caused her to not want to see her parents again, for the last 15 years. She points out that her husband eventually fell in love with another woman he met at a Starbucks, and moved to Palo Alto. Becca asks her to go back and explain what exactly happened to cause the years of non-communication, and her mom tells her she won't tell her; if her grandparents want to give her that information, it's up to them. She tells them even though she hasn't talked to them in years, she knows they are nice, and they still volunteer at the local hospital.MONDAY MORNINGWe meet Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), Becca's younger brother, while they drive to Grand Central Station. He is age 13 and talks like a wannabe rapper, complaining that he's got three girls on deck and is upset he won't be able to text all week, due to having no cellphone reception where the grandparents live. Their mom hugs goodbye at Grand Central, and they board a train. On board, Tyler shows off his freestyling skills by rapping for the camera. Becca mentions that she agreed to the trip because their mom hasn't been able to connect with her new boyfriend, and a five-day cruise might help them get closer, (as in getting laid and having steamy, passionate, wild sex day in and day out!!).They get to Pennsylvania where their grandparents live, and they're waiting for them as they get off the train. The grandparents, John "Pop-Pop" (Peter McRobbie) and Doris "Nana" (Deanna Dunagan), seem friendly enough and take them back to their house. Tyler does a freestyle rap using Nana's suggestion of pineapple upside down cake. Becca discusses her documentary and her love of making movies.Tyler and Becca get settled into their room upstairs, which used to be their mother's. They play rock, paper, scissors to see who gets the bed and who gets the sofa, and Becca gets the bed. She tells Tyler about the old time song she's going to play over some of the footage when there's a happy conclusion to the week. She gives Tyler a second camera so he can film additional footage.Tyler films Pop-Pop mysteriously working in the shed. He calls out to him and Pop-Pop sees him but doesn't respond.Tyler coerces Becca to play Hide and Seek underneath the house. They crawl around, and then suddenly Nana is down on all fours behind Tyler. She races after him, and then Becca, each scurrying to get away from her as she seems demented and off, repeating "I'm going to get" you as she scurries after the kids. They escape from underneath the house, and Nana laughs, her hands sullied, seemingly aware of the game and simply trying to participate. She walks away, revealing the roughhousing has caused her dress to ride upwards, exposing her bare butt.A man comes to the door and asks to talk to their grandparents. They tell him they're not there. He says he knows them from Meadow Shade, the hospital they volunteer at a few days a week, and he has some gossip to tell them about the latest drama going on down there.Tyler decides he's going to investigate what's in the shed. He sneaks inside and says it "smells like ass". He finds in the corner a pile. He gets closer to see what it is and discovers it's used adult diapers. He runs out screaming. Inside, Nana explains to him that Pop-Pop is incontinent, and a lot of adults have to wear diapers. He hides them in the shed because he's ashamed. She then continues giving Becca tips on how to make cookies.That night, Pop-Pop comes into their room and tells them that there is mold in the basement, and they should not go down there. He also tells them that everyone follows the same schedule, so lights have to be out at 9:30. They agree but are annoyed, especially since there is no WiFi, and they can't use any electronics. Tyler decides to start using pop stars names instead of misogynistic terms in his raps and says if he stubs his toe, it sounds cooler to shout out "Shakira!" than a cuss word (This is a motif that is carried out throughout the movie with him shouting out Sarah McLachlan and Katy Perry in times of annoyance or danger). The two can't sleep, and its now 10:23 PM. Becca says she's going to sneak out to get one of Nana's cookies. She opens the door and sees Nana walking in the dark, projectile vomiting. She quickly shuts the door.TUESDAY MORNINGThe next morning, Pop-Pop and Nana are outside with breakfast on the table. Nana apologizes because shes got hot oil all over Becca's computer but really only the webcam. Becca says she will probably be able to scrub it off with enough effort. The kids later ask Pop-Pop if Nana is sick. They are told Nana experiences something called "sundowning", which is a form of dementia that happens when the sun sets. It's the equivalent of talking in one's sleep and not to be concerned, but it's best for them to stay in their room during the night. He says Nana is convinced there are bad things inside her, so she throws up to get rid of them. As he's explaining this, hes putting on a tuxedo. They ask him if he's going somewhere, and he tells them there's a costume ball at the train station he's late to. He then realizes that he's confused and takes the tuxedo off.Pop-Pop takes Becca and Tyler through the town. They play a game where they make up stories about people who live in the buildings including the closed police station. When they try to make up a story about a tall building, Pop-Pop tells them its Meadow Shade where they volunteer, and he'll show it to them when he gets his Meadow Shade badge from home. They go to the park to play, but Pop-Pop tells them they have to leave because they're being followed. The kids see a man across the street using his cell phone, not paying attention to the three of them. Pop-Pop runs over and begins to accost the man, yelling at him. Becca and Tyler convince him to leave the man alone, and Pop-Pop apologizes to them.Back home, Becca is in the kitchen with Nana. She asks her if she can interview her, but Nana does not want to be on camera. Instead, she asks for Becca's help cleaning the oven. Becca cleans with just her arm, but Nana tells her to lean into it. Nana then convinces her to get completely inside. While she's fully submerged in the oven, Nana bounces up and down excitedly. Becca reappears, and Nana tells her she is ready to be in her movie.Becca interviews Nana by asking her warm-up questions. When she asks Nana what happened 15 years ago to cause her not to speak to her daughter, Nana starts going berserk, shaking violently, and screams that she no longer wants to be in Becca's movie.Outside, Tyler interviews Becca asking what animal shed want to be (a dolphin), then why she likes the pizza guy despite him having bad acne (he has kind eyes.) Then he asks her why she can't look at herself in the mirror, pointing out when she brushes her hair, she does it with her back to the mirror. And when she brushes her teeth, she looks down. She hints that it's because their dad abandoned the three of them years ago, and she has felt rejected. Tyler defends his dad, saying there was a time when he was eight when he was playing peewee football. His team was up by three, and it was the fourth quarter and they were set to win as long as nobody scored in the final minutes. A big kid came running towards him but instead of blocking him, he just froze. Everyone started screaming at him but he was completely frozen, immobile, which is what happens when he's afraid. But his dad never judged him for it. But he sometimes blames that for being why his dad went away.In the editing software, she's piecing together on her computer, Becca films herself in front of an obstructed slideshow of pictures of her brother, her, and their father. She says that while she's trying to tell the story of her mom's parents, she will not be including anybody from the past that she doesn't consider worthy of acknowledgment.That night, at 10:47 PM, they hear a scary sound coming outside their locked door. The two want to film what's on the other side, so Tyler tells Becca to open the door. She refuses. He then says if she holds the camera, hell open the door. He does, and they reveal a naked Nana clawing at the door opposite them, scratching like a frantic dog. He shuts the door and declares that he's now partially blind.WEDNESDAY MORNINGThe next morning, Becca interviews Pop-Pop, and he tells her how he used to have a great job, but he used to see a white figure with yellow eyes at his job. Nobody else could see it, but he was insistent it was there. So he was eventually fired. He warns Becca that she, too, will see the white figure with yellow eyes one day. She tells him he seems sad.Tyler tries to convince Becca to set the camera up in the living room so it can film what happens at night. She says she can't film their grandparents unless one of them is there otherwise it's unethical. She explains they're both experiencing signs of early onset schizophrenia.A neighbor named Stacey comes over, telling them their grandparents volunteered at the hospital when she was in rehab, and she baked treats to thank them.The kids get an Ethernet cord and now talk to their mom on Skype. Tyler tells her Nana is acting weird. The mom tells them "they're old, and that's just how old people act". Becca defends them and says they are weird but nice. Tyler and Becca both agree that this is a 1 on the scale of problems. Their mom comments how she wishes she could see them (but can't because their webcam is blocked from Nana's mishap in the kitchen). Their mom leaves to watch her boyfriend in a Hairy Chest contest on the cruise ship.That night, at 10:16 PM, they hear an odd commotion outside the door. They want to know what Nana is doing this time but are too scared to look. Becca decides just to open the door and film for a short while, for the documentary sake. When she opens the door, they see Nana running past, with both arms behind her back, rushing past them, in both directions. Just as she's about to crawl towards the camera, they shut and lock the door.THURSDAY MORNINGThe next morning, the four of them go out into the woods. Becca says she doesn't want to leave without getting an elixir for Mom. While the grandparents are ahead on the trail, Tyler begins to mimic Nana's running with her arms behind the back only to get caught by Nana, who tells them they're going to miss the family of foxes. They turn the corner and see Nana staring into a well. They ask her what shes looking at, but Pop-Pop tells them it's nothing.Tyler and Becca return to the well later to try to figure out what is hidden inside. But all they pull up is water.Becca goes in the shed and finds Pop-Pop with a rifle in his mouth. He declares he's just cleaning it and then mimics cleaning it.Later that evening, Becca is in the living room and hears Nana laughing hysterically. She decides to show what kind of television show makes her Nana laugh, hoping it's the same one her mom loves. But she finds Nana rocking in a chair, facing the wall. She asks Nana what she's laughing about and is told the naughty spirits are inside her, and she laughs to keep them at bay. She then tells her a story about how there are people in the water that were stolen by people from another planet. These people will later be collected and sent back to this planet but for now, they're at the bottom of water. Becca tries to interview her again, but she goes crazy when she is asked about the night that caused them to become estranged. When Becca presents it as a story about a girl who fell in love with an older man, whose family did not approve, and what she would say to the girl, Nana tells her I would tell the girl "I'm sorry."Becca now has her elixir, an apology from Nana. Outside the window, they see Nana and Pop-Pop in a heated argument with their neighbor, Stacey. They wonder what they are fighting about.Becca decides Tyler is right and that they should set up the camera in the living room to see exactly what goes on at night. Becca also wonders whats in the basement given that they were told not to go down there.At night, Tyler is freaking out because he touched something slimy on the toilet handle and can feel it seeping into his skin. Becca gets tissues and helps wipe it off. Time passes, and they fall asleep. In the living area, Nana opens and slams the basement door several times. She then rushes around the room, crawling like a dog then appears..... RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE HIDDEN CAMERA and screams. She picks up the camera and then films herself going into the kitchen where she grabs a butcher knife. She makes her way up to the kids bedroom and begins pounding at their door. Becca and Tyler wake up, startled. They can hear Nana trying to get in but just stay still.FRIDAY MORNING:The next morning, they watch the footage and see that Nana was trying to kill them. Becca tells them that their mom is back from her vacation that day so they just have to avoid their grandparents all day until she can come and get them. They throw the ball around and every time the grandparents come by, they tell them "We're playing. This is how kids play."Inside, they try to avoid their grandparents by going out to play but Nana asks if Becca can help clean the oven first. Becca leans in, but Nana tells her to go in further. Tyler objects but Nana tells him they've done this before. Becca finally climbs all the way in and Nana pushes her fully inside and shuts the door, telling her she wants to do something real quick and wipes down the handle. Tyler screams at her to open up the oven, and she does. Becca is shaken up, and they quickly go outside and play.They wait until the grandparents are out front and then get on Skype, hoping to sneak in a call without the grandparents being aware. The oil has now been scrubbed off of the webcam so their mom can see them, too. The mom is back home and tries telling them about her vacation and a fight with her boyfriend, but they quickly tell her that she needs to come and pick them up right now. She tells them, "Do you know how long it'd take to drive from here to there?" but they tell her to get in the car immediately and make her way to them. They say that their grandparents are scaring them; Nana tried to kill them with a butcher knife, and Pop-Pop put a gun in his mouth and she's afraid he's going to hurt himself.Tyler films the grandparents from the window so his mom can see them. The mom is now white-faced and tells them she has to tell them something and for them to listen. She says: "THOSE ARE NOT YOUR GRANDPARENTS!!!!" She asks if they've been staying with them all week and tries to call the local police but gets a recorded message (the station is closed). The mom complains that the hick town has an incompetent police department, and she's going to drive to come get them and will continue to try to call the police on the way. Heading out, she tells them to get somewhere safe but just then the grandparents return, and they shut down Skype. The grandparents suggest having a board game night, but the kids say they want to check something outside while the grandparents figure out the teams. They head for the yard only to see..... STACEY HANGING DEAD FROM A TREE! Nana appears and tells them they already have the teams... Old versus young.The kids are forced to play Yahtzee with the fake grandparents, who eerily pretend everything is normal, Nana complaining how competitive Pop-Pop is. They begin to play the game, but the grandparents are becoming more demented. Pop-Pop begins dressing up for the costume party again. Becca excuses herself from the game saying she's got to film something real quick. Pop-Pop is suspicious and angry. Nana gets excited and starts eating cookies frantically. She turns to the camera Tyler has placed on the table and screams "YAHTZEE!"Becca goes down to the basement, explaining to the viewer that she thinks her real grandparents have been trapped down there, and that's why Pop-Pop told them to stay away. She begins calling out for the real Nana and Pop-Pop but doesn't hear a response. In the corner, she sees a dumpster and hurries over to it. Inside are family photos of her real grandparents. She also sees something from Meadow Shade which she now learns is a MENTAL HOSPITAL. She digs some more and finds a hammer with blood and white hair on it and then sees..... THE CORPSES OF AN OLD WOMAN AND OLD MAN! Immediately behind her, Pop-Pop has appeared. He explains that he and the woman they know as Nana were mental patients and their real grandparents were volunteers. When they told them about their upcoming visit with their grandchildren, the two imposters decided it would be fun to experience in their place. But he is now determined to kill Becca. He chases Becca up into her room and locks her in. But she manages to defend herself, then busts the lock and escapes.Its past 9:30 PM. Nana is beginning to "sundown" and starts crawling around the couches, chasing Becca. Meanwhile, Pop-Pop comes down to the kitchen with Tyler, who is frozen in fear, just like during the peewee game. Pop-Pop tells him hes under a spell and tells Tyler he never liked him. He goes behind the kitchen counter and removes his pants while the frozen Tyler looks on. Simultaneously, Becca continues to be chased by Nana. Becca's hiding in the corner facing the mirror but as normal, she doesn't look at herself, so shes oblivious that Nana's creeping up on her. Nana smashes Becca's face into the mirror and pieces of glass shatter all around them. Becca picks up a shard of glass as Nana jumps on top of her, clawing at her.In the kitchen, Pop-Pop has now revealed that he's removed a dirty diaper. He comments that he's noticed Tyler doesn't like germs and then shoves the dirty adult diaper into Tyler's face.Meanwhile, Nana is on top of Becca, trying to kill her, but Becca stabs Nana to death with the glass shared. In the kitchen, Becca encourages Tyler to snap out of his frozen state, and he does, charging at Pop-Pop again and again and shouting as if hes tackling the big player on the peewee league. He has so much adrenaline that he pummels Pop-Pop to the ground and then smashes the refrigerator door against his head several times (unseen to the audience).The kids run outside to find their mom and police cars out front. They hug their mom as the old time music that Becca promised to play at an important moment in her film plays.Back home, the mom tells Becca that she used to be a great singer, and she could tell her mom was proud of her when she'd sing around the house as a kid. The fight happened because they didn't approve of her husband and when her mom blocked the door to keep her from leaving, she hit her mom and in response, her dad hit her. Stunned by the event, she stormed out and even though her parents tried to reconnect with her, she never talked to them again. She tells Becca not to hold on to anger. In response, we see the slideshow of Becca's dad that she previously said was banned from her documentary, played in full.As the credits roll, we see Becca brushing her hair while looking at herself in the mirror while Tyler performs a rap to camera about the events that took place over those five days, including getting a used adult diaper shoved in his face and how it took two bars of soap to feel clean again. He says it did not taste like chicken.

Tags: comedy, fantasy, gothic, murder

Review:
In my view the only thing that does not work is the final sequence after the twist is revealed, simply because the movie stops being a a story that creeps us out and becomes the usual fight for your life action bit we've seen hundreds of times.
Night Shyamalan's commercial misfires (or rather miscarriages) like Lady in the Lake (ugh!), Airbender (what the hell was he thinking?) and After Earth, I decided to give him one more shot in the shape of The Visit.
His recent talk in interviews about gaining back artistic control of his products was another positive step in Shyamalan's long path to cinematic forgiveness.And so I entered The Visit, a somewhat short and intimate tale of two precocious teenagers, a brother (13) and sister (15), who travel cross country to meet and spend a week with their estranged grandparents, whom they have not seen or met since birth due to a big family feud their divorced mother (Kathryn Hahn, the most recognizable face in the cast) refuses to talk about.
The sister, Becca (the promising Olivia DeJonge) also happens to be an aspiring filmmaker, out to make a documentary about the big reconciliation, which ever so conveniently sets the movie up in the popular found footage sub-horror genre - but also opens a wide crack for endless jokes and self-aware nods towards the unsuspecting audience.Anyway, as you could probably tell by the previews, something isn't quite right with Poppa and Nanna, and even though at first they seem like reasonably nice elder folks, their strict rules (do not get out of the room after 21:30, do not go down to the basement) and strange manners (you'll see what I'm talking about) soon enough make it clear to both Becca and Tyler (the smaller brother portrayed by the superb Ed Oxenbould, who at 14 shows endless promise) that they better get the hell out of there - as fast as they could.Besides the trademark Shyamalan twist, which actually works here and seems reasonable in hindsight (unlike, say, The Village), the extremely self-aware script and the very natural and authentic brother-sister relationship between both co-leads, lends further credence to Shyamlan's pet project.
The Visit is a legitimately good film, with great performances, terrific setups and even better payoffs, and an overall simple but satisfying story, which is all Shyamalan needs right now.It's difficult to say much about the story without revealing too much, because The Visit is essentially the type of film where it's better the less you know going in.
Who says horror/comedy can't work?UPDATE: The film is even better the second time around, and I noticed a lot of details I missed during the first viewing.
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.
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.
Night Shyamalan takes a break from big-budget productions and decides to return to small-scale projects constrained by shoestring budget in an attempt to rediscover his creative side and with his latest feature, I'd say he has found it.The Visit tells the story of two siblings who decide to spend a week with their grandparents at their farmhouse while their mother is planning a vacation with her current boyfriend.
The found-footage camera-work is nicely carried out and its tight editing only helps in establishing an increasingly tense & suspenseful atmosphere, which is brilliantly sustained till the end.The expected Shyamalan twist is also there, following which the movie becomes somewhat predictable and the pay-off isn't much rewarding.
The performances are a definitely plus for the kids waste no time in becoming a nuisance, especially that 13-year old rapping douche, but it's actually their grandparents who leave the most lasting impressions with their eerie renditions, which only gets more menacing as the story nears its end.On an overall scale, The Visit is a welcome return to form for M.
With unlikeable children as protagonists and cheap jump scares, The Visit serves as less of a comeback for Shyamalan and more of a reminder as to why I haven't seen any of his movies in theaters since Lady in the Water (yikes to that one too, by the way).
While this movie follows Shyamalans traditional game-changing-twist-at-the-end formula with an attempt to balance in a sentimental dramatic storyline as well (in the style of The Sixth Sense and The Village), the jump scares and irritating dialogue (why does the boy decide to say pop stars names instead of swearing?
The premise of the movie is that a mother drops her two kids off at their grandparents house, while the daughter decides to film it kind of documentary style.
The film that this guy put out with just one location, a handful of actors, and a really low budget, this movie is amazing, and it's good to see that Shyamalan is back and here to stay!
When the main kid actor uses the word "swerve", that's strike one, when he starts rapping, that's strike 2 and finally, strike 3 comes when they have 2 different cameras that are both being used with the intention of making it seem like they are making a documentary but instead the footage is the same quality from both points of view, very clean and very crisp.
I had no preconceived notions about the film or the director; I went into this completely cold.Two kids, Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) go spend a week at their grandparent's (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie) place.
So let me just start by saying that I had low expectations to begin with seeing as how this director has failed me in the past MANY times prior, that being said the trailer also wasn't very promising, however my significant other thought it would be at least worth a shot as it was at least a bit of a interesting idea.
The basics of the plot is that the two main characters are sent to their grandparents home for a week to get to know them as the mother had separated herself from them and never really allowed the kids to meet them, nor made the effort to bring the grandparents or children together, and throughout the film the main characters will at times hear things over night or even find the grandparents up to some rather strange things.
The problem with this film is really the fear factor feels as though it is missing, most of the movie is shot in plain day and things are "Relatively" normal, whilst getting a bit of information on the characters.
It combines many things that have had their day and have become tiresome - M Night twisty plot lines, people who don't put the camera down even when they're in danger, manufactured attempts at scares by going quiet and then turning the sound up - and doesn't do any of them well.The plot is predictable and preposterous, and relies on what Roger Ebert used to call the Idiot Plot, a story that can only take place if no one has or uses common sense.
We're expected to believe that reasonably intelligent people (who know about films) would think that old people behaving exactly like scary characters in horror films are just regular creepy old people.Apparently M Night financed the film himself in order to have total creative control so he has no one but himself to blame how badly this film has turned out.
What is more surprising is the number of people and critics that think this film is worth more than 1 star.The kids do a good job at acting their over scripted parts.
Scares are at a minimum.Shyamalan uses ironic humor well, blaming the grandparents' odd behavior on senility issues as he establishes his characters and hints at possible ominous clues as the film goes along its merry way.
Unfortunately it wasn't as good.The story was about two kids who were visiting their grandparents for the first time while their Mom went on vacation with her boyfriend.
Whether you liked it or not, the mis-marketing of the village was the main reason for all the hate it got, and i'm afraid that this is exactly what is going to happen with his new movie 'the visit'.
Shyamalan is fully aware of what he is doing as he subletly ridicules movies within the same genre.The story starts off as brother (tyler) and sister (becca) are going on a trip to visit their grandparents.
And guys, don't get fooled by the trailer and don't get fooled by bad reviews from people who were expecting a scary horror movie but instead got something completely different (just like in the village).
It's billed as a horror/comedy, but it failed miserably at both the horror part and the comedy part.The main characters are two kids who are completely unrelatable in any way, and are so annoying I wanted them to die before the "scary" parts even started.The comedy is pretty much "haha old people are weird and kids like computers, fart joke lolz".The dialogue was...
In my opinion, great scary movies require that their writers / directors have superb filming and story telling skills, as well as a just a hint of comedic edge, so to as to give a roller coaster type of emotion to the viewer.
Sadly today's thrillers/horror films are nothing more than cliché of slasher / wacky psycho stories which are no more than a smattering of bad plots, how much strobe like jerk movements a character can invoke, mediocre effects and then -blood scenes.
Which seems to be a found-footage film gone wrong (I mean seriously, the illusion of this technique is almost nonexistent,) the movie centers two kids meeting their estranged grandparents which seems to have a dark secret from their odd behavior.
And in case the trailers of this movie have fooled you to expect a total horror film, The Visit is actually Shyamalan's way of making the audience laugh with him and not at him, by poking fun of his own tropes, however manages to bring some inspired horror elements.
But the punchline is the main spotlight here, which makes it a rather fun film.This might be an example if the director made another bad horror movie and did it at the worst ways possible.
Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie seem to be having the time of their lives as the crazy grandparents.The Visit won't work for you if you're seeking for a straight up horror film.
This film is quite humorous and entertaining in a dark way and has a great twist that i didn't see coming like in Sixth Sense.
Night film, and it left a few things unexplained, but as someone who loves asking questions and dislikes leaving a movie feeling unresolved, there wasn't enough left out to make it frustrating.Finally, I know a lot of people will probably take issue with the camera work, as it is "yet another" found footage/documentary style films.
The cameras are often placed on a flat surface, making many of the shots completely stable, and even the ones that are clearly hand-held are not nearly as chaotic and confusing as many other films I've seen in this genre.This movie is absolutely worth the watch, especially for those who enjoy creepy movies.
There was un necessary comedy thrown in there, which didn't seem to fit, but what the film was good at was keeping every scene both funny and serious and spooky at the same time.All in all The Autistic Reviewers give this movie a 7/10.
Night Shyamalan movie as a horror film.
You'd think after two decades of subverting genre expectations, whether through presenting a superhero origin story as if a gritty 70s style procedural, or approaching an alien invasion movie as a claustrophobic Bergman-esque parable on faith, the audience would know the terrain, but again, all people really want from this guy is The Sixth Sense Pt. II or GTFO!What The Visit could actually be described as is a comedy, albeit a comedy with elements of psychological thriller, survival drama and an extended metaphor for familial dysfunction.
Throughout, Shyamalan uses his set-up to mine moments of genuine hilarity, from the broad strokes of character comedy (the young Tyler and his terrible rapping becomes the film's go-to comic relief), to the subtle self-aware digs at the genre itself (Becca's film-school pretensions lead her to deconstruct the film, almost as it's in motion), to even moments of grotesque absurdity (including scatological elements that are closer to the works of John Waters than the filmmaker once dubbed, erroneously, "the next Spielberg").If The Visit is a horror movie, then it is to the found-footage sub- genre what Blazing Saddles (1974) was to the Hollywood western.
Shyamalan's main theme of emotionally damaged characters having to overcome a particular situation to regain a sense of self is once again made the focal point of the film's third act dilemma, but there are more interesting ideas relating to the subject of filmmaking, in which the writer-director once again uses elements of meta-fiction to explore his own relationship to his art.In the film itself, the two children are using the week with their grandparents to create a documentary that they hope will heal the wounds of a long-held disagreement between the mother and her parents.
It's all very clever, but unfortunately, as with the meta-fiction elements of the earlier Lady in the Water, it becomes something that most audiences couldn't care less about unless they're actively watching an "art- movie" and not some Hollywood genre film.Like several (but not all) Shyamalan films, The Visit features a twist, but rather than using it to pull the rug out from under the audience during the last few minutes of the film, the twist occurs 30 minutes before the end and is used to generate tension and suspense.
Simple,short and entertaining.I am big fan of horror movies and I am always looking for some good horror movie to come out in theaters but most of the time they disappoint you with a boring storyline and some old school horror scenes.I saw the budget of this movie which is 5 millions and based on that I was not expecting much from this movie but this movie proved me wrong its very simple,short and I can say a well directed entertaining movie.good suspense is a forte of M.Night Shyamalan and he proved that many times(the sixth sense and signs are good examples of that) as like other movies of Shyamalan there is good storyline and direction which will urge you to wait for the climax or suspense of the movie.due to the tight budget of this movie which was deliberately done by them or for some other reason I don't know but while watching this movie you will consider it as a plus point.there are some really good horror sequences in movie which will definitely going to scare you and there are some comedy scene which will make you laugh after some scary scenes there is a good balance of horror with comedy but more then comedy I will consider it a horror movie.
It has all the makings of a good movie and a lot of people seem to enjoy the film.
It has a compelling story, tension, creepy characters, a straight forward plot and all the things people loved about M Night films.
at the end, it all fits perfectly together.I didn't even know it was possible to make a Horror / Comedy hybrid which works, usually you get something like the Gremlins (which is very fun), but this one was actually scary too, a job well done if you consider the lead actors are two children...Normally I hate Handycam movies, but this one didn't bother me at all (very steady hands and good camera quality).Personally, I didn't love 'Lady In The Water', 'After Earth' and 'The Last Airbender' (I thought the Happening was OK), but with 'The Visit' M.
When me and my friend paused the movie to go to the bathroom, neither of us could believe our eyes when we saw that we were only 31 minutes in.Besides being scary and funny, The Visit also has a nice drama element that actually makes you care about the characters which is something very rare in horror films..
The Visit is a horror/comedy that delivers the right amount of scares and laughs to make this a very good film.
I badly wanted The Visit to be a good movie.After a couple of instant classics (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable) and some decent suspense outings (Signs and The Village), Shyamalan began one of the most bizarre downward spirals in directing history, dedicating the last decade of his career to churning out cinematic train wrecks like Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender (LitW was so spectacularly bad that it made my recent list of the ten worst films ever made, a decision that I stand by).
It becomes obvious, very quickly, that something is seriously wrong, and terrifying, about their grandparents.The movie has a few good scares, and a somewhat surprising twist, but neither of these things are nearly as impressive as Shyamalan's earlier work.
The film tells a story about two kids who are going to visit their mother's parents for the first time in their lives.
Things however soon turn out strange and the kids will need to find a way out.Shyamalan directed some very good films in the past.
So if you like M Night's movies aren't stuck up and just want to enjoy a creepy film with a nice twist at the end.
The problem with having kid actors in these types of movies is that in horror films you really want the characters to seem like they are actually in danger, with this though their performances weren't convincing and really brought down the overall creepiness of the film.