Running Time: 94 minutes
Release Date: September 11, 2015
Review by: Stacey
I'm sure I'm not the only person who's terrified of old folks, right? And I don't mean your sweet, wise, grandparents who give you those weird watermelon hard candies and make inappropriate jokes when you're around large groups of people. I mean the old people who don't know where the fuck they're at and just generally act like they've been taken over by some brittle-boned-loving demon. M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit will seriously make you reconsider spending time with those grandparents that you just don't see often enough.
The Visit follows a single mother (Kathryn Hahn) who sends her two kids, Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), off to visit their grandparents who they've never met before because their mother hasn't spoken to them in 15 years. Becca decides to turn their visit into a documentary in order to reconnect her mother and grandparents and learn a little bit about their past. Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) seem like your typical, quirky grandparents, but soon after the kids arrive things start unraveling into something far more dark.
It seems like it's the "cool" thing lately to hate M. Night's work (yes, he has made some shit films) but I've always been a fan, even of his infamous twists. It looked like he may have lost his touch there a few years ago, but it's safe to say that The Visit is his return to form. If you haven't seen anything but the trailers for the film, you'd think you're going in watching a straight horror film. That's not the case with this one, because instead, we get a pretty sharp horror comedy in a documentary/found footage style that surprisingly works in its favor.
The kids shined in their roles, especially Tyler, who really carried the comedic elements of the film. Most kids annoy the shit out of me, but you feel a sweetness and a genuine childlike-ness to them that isn't forced. Dunagan and McRobbie as the grandparents were spot-on creepy. When they turn "dark" as the film progresses, it only ramps up the dread and had us on the edge of our seats waiting for the big twist/reveal.
Of course there was a big twist! It wouldn't be an M. Night film without one. Some may be able to figure out, but I definitely didn't and when it was revealed it was a great one. From there the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place and everything fits together and makes a pretty effectively creepy film. The horror aspect wasn't always in your face and in some scenes felt like you weren't sure if you should laugh uncomfortably or be creeped out, but when the scares were there, they made sure you knew.
Comedy, dread, jump scares, gross out moments...the film had a little something for everyone. The Visit won't be the film of the year for most, but it definitely is a top contender in my list for favorite horrors of 2015.
4/5 old people need to go the fuck to bed
I enjoyed the film, but it feels a little like a washed-up MLB player joined a Pee-wee League, and knocked it out of the park. It's not that impressive.
ReplyDeleteWhile I know this was made independently and sold to Blumhouse, it's really obvious that's the style Shyamalan was going for. I don't hate Blumhouse, but their films are quite formulaic, and in some ways I preferred Shyamalan experimenting and failing, rather than cashing an easy paycheck.