Review of The Visit (2015) by Christopher E — 07 Feb 2016

M. Night Shyamalan proves that not only is he a talented and crafty director, but shows us that found footage horror films can still have a great blend of scares and excitement to them.

This is the story of two kids who spend a week at their grandparents house, whom they've never met in their entire lives. Although everything seems fine and dandy at first, they soon realize that not everything is as it seems, as they find themselves battling not only evil, but themselves too.

Honestly after watching the trailers for this movie, I told my friend that this was going to be the worst movie of the year. I was serious about that, and I admit, I was completely wrong. Not only is this movie not too bad, but it's actually pretty great. I'm happy that we got another quality movie to add to the horror genre, and Shyamalan shows us that he can direct when given the reigns to his movie. This movie surprised me in many ways, and it was definitely a great time.

Now to start out, this movie isn't downright scary or anything, nor will it leave you stumbling out of the theaters. But, what this film does do is it manages to supply plenty of intense and creepy scenes. There are a few moments where there are jump scares, which is fine, but they were used in a semi-effective way. There were also a few moments that definitely got my heart racing a bit, and there were plenty of creepy moments. Shyamalan did a great job of setting up a mysterious environment that left you on the edge of your seat, wondering what would happen next. So even though nothing in this movie hit me on a psychological level, there were still plenty of creepy moments to suffice.

There was also a great amount of comedic relief in this movie, and although it created some tonal conflict at times, it still provided for a decent amount of laughs. The main boy actor, Ed Oxenbould, was the main source of comedy in this movie. He managed to provide a few witty lines, and actually had me laughing at a few parts. He looked and acted like a real kid, and the movie overall managed to provide some very awkward, yet comedic scenes.

The movie also had very good actors. Shyamalan hand picked his actors to star in his personal project, and it payed off big time. The talent here was noticeable, and they brought life to a movie that could've fell flat. Olivia DeJonge as the female lead filled her role well. She was a steady and consistent performer, and although she didn't blow me away or anything, she still impressed me none the less. Oxenbould was also great as the little brother, and both child actors brought a lot to the table. I'm very happy that they were both good, and I can't wait to see them in more films. I also loved the grandparents, played by Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie, who played their roles perfectly. They filled the requirement for "creepy, strange old people", and made the movie for me.

This movie actually had an intelligent script underneath the surface. The film had deeper meaning to it, and since the trailers didn't give any of it away, I won't talk in depth about it. Either way, the film touches on how kids grieve with loss when they lose one parent, and just how much that can have an impact on their lives. I really loved that aspect of it, and it gave a huge boost to a film that would've been generic otherwise. The movie is so smart in that aspect, and I praise Shyamalan for delivering such a well thought out script that managed to make me think a lot. It even manages to deliver a message about forgiveness which was surprisingly touching.

The real problem that this movie had were its tonal conflicts. Like I mentioned earlier, the blend of comedy and horror is not really a good one. Although it can make for some decent entertainment, the comedy often suppresses the intensity of the horror. I love the two aspects separately, but combined, it made me scratch my head a little. There were also more than a handful of different things going on in this movie all at once, which made everything a little convoluted and difficult to follow sometimes. I wish they focused up a little bit more, but that doesn't stray from the fact that I had a lot of fun.

The third act was also a bit underwhelming. Although it went out in a typical, Shyamalan fashion, it wasn't able to live up to expectations. It was interesting enough, but the whole movie felt like it built up to an underwhelming standpoint. The movie also struggled with tonal conflicts in the finale, which made the situation feel less impactful and frightening.

I also love how each character had their own unique personality or tick. They all had something that defined them as a person, which was amazing to see. It shows that a lot of thought was put into this film, and it makes re-watching the film even better.

There was even a moment or two where things started to get a bit emotional, and it had an impact on me.

In the end, I actually had a lot of fun with this movie. I give plenty of praise to this film, and I never thought I'd be giving "The Visit" this much credit. It does have its problems, but it is a nice addition to a collection of films made by Shyamalan. Overall, I'm happy to give this movie 3.5 stars.