Review of The Uninvited (2009) by Chads. — 30 Jan 2009

Alt-rock sweetheart Juliana Hatfield had a cool sister. You may remember the elder Hatfield; she's the one who would have taken Juliana to her first all-ages show. The Del-Fuegoes were playing. It's this same sisterly camaraderie which drove The Juliana Hatfield 3's near-hit "My Sister" out of alternative rock provincialism that also frees "The Uninvited" from the PG-13 horror film ghetto.

Just back home after a stint in the mental ward, Anna's sister lightens the mood with remarks like "better food, crazier people" and "while you were searching for your inner-psycho;" remarks that only a sister could make.

While Anna and her sister uncover the truth about their mother's death, "The Uninvited" imbues the girls' sleuthing with an appealing lightness that conveys a shared history together; a life before their mother's home-care provider(Elizabeth Banks) tore the family apart.

In one scene, while they sit in the tub, we can picture their younger selves, just like old times, in cahoots; we sense their intimacy, as they plot their next move against the evil girlfriend. Even though the stakes are raised, the Nancy Drew twins can still muster up a smile if there's occasion to, like when they find Rachael's vibrator.

Such a display of teen spirit is more important than all the undead children you can cram under a stove. In recent horror films such as "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" and "The Unborn", there's not a recognizable human being among them to be found.

Alex(Arielle Kebbel) and especially Anna(Emily Browning), never feel like stock characters. It's the reason why this fatigued story has some giddy-up in its rote telling. Anna has Seoul.