The Visit

2015

Olivia DeJonge as Becca

Ed Oxenbould as Tyler

Deanna Dunagan as Nana

Peter McRobbie as Pop Pop

Written, produced and directed by M. Night Shymalan

After a falling out and years of separation from their daughter, grandma and grandpa get to spend a week getting to know their estranged daughter’s kids.  A WEIRD week.

Welcome back, Mr. Shymalan!  This film marks a rather spectacular return to features since his last two disappointments (which, if sources are to be believed, really weren’t his fault because of executive decisions).  He’s regained his classic shock & awe power in a ridiculous fashion.

Seriously.  It’s RIDICULOUS.

Why?  (Don’t worry—I will avoid spoilers).

• Basically everything from the trailer. “Would you get inside the oven to clean it?”

• Tag/Hide & Seek/whatever UNDER. THE. HOUSE.

• Let’s go into town and I’ll show you around…oh…wait…that guy’s following me…I’m going to go BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM STOP FOLLOWING ME AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

Who ARE these people?  No wonder Nana and Pop Pop’s daughter (Kathryn Hahn) bailed.

This movie is seriously awesome.  IMDb.com tells us that there were three versions of the film—one was all comedy, another all horror, and the final version that came to theaters was the mix of the two.  What a great mix.  It was funny enough to be believable, cheesy enough to see that the film had no problem making fun of itself, and scary enough to make you want to question the sanity of all relatives you haven’t seen in years.  Do some research, I’d say.  Gotta make sure no one has lost their damn mind before you go visit!

Scream Meter: 7/10  Some (okay, most) of the scares were totally predictable.  Still makes you jump, want to hide behind your hands, etc.  Especially poor Tyler’s punishment.  Eesh.

Buddy Meter: 6/10  Mostly because I think you’d want to rehash all the MESSED UP NONSENSE you just saw.  But yeah.  It starts out innocent enough, then the loops get thrown, and you really want to know that the person sitting next to you is going to protect you if necessary.

Overall Rating: 8/10  A great addition to my Halloween reviews.  Can’t wait for the DVD so I can scare my mom with it.  You’ll love it.  Not Oscar worthy, I don’t think, but definitely amazing.