From the looks of the trailer, I wasn't expecting too much from M.Night Shyamalan's latest outing 'The Visit'...wow, was I wrong! This film surpassed every and any expectation I had in the best ways possible.
M.Night Shyamalan is back and there's no doubting this man's talent for creating intelligent horror (Signs, Sixth Sense, The Village), and The Visit serves as a bold reminder- M.Night Shyamalan means business.
Not only did he bring a refreshing take on the found footage trend, but interspersed deeply disturbing moments with hilarious one-liners - in particular from the younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould).
'The Visit' is a horror seen through the eyes of fifteen year old aspiring filmmaker Rebecca (Olivia DeJonge). Rebecca and her brother Tyler are going to stay for a week with their grandparents Nana(Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) whom they've never met before, at their isolated farmhouse. The children decide to make a documentary during their stay, in an effort to mend bridges between their grandparents and mother (Kathryn Hahn), who haven't spoken in 15 years.
Rebecca only knows that her mother eloped with a teacher (their father who has since left), resulting in a fight that left her a single mother and estranged from her parents, but refuses to tell Rebecca much more.
It's not long before the film gets straight to the creepy, and the atmosphere this film creates is marvellous.What strikes me most is how normal everyday occurrences were twisted into believable terrifying situations. The children are told there is a strict bedtime rule - no leaving their bedroom after 9.30pm. This results in a mutual groan between the siblings, but they agree, until Rebecca goes downstairs one evening past her curfew to get something to eat.
I won't give away too many scary moments - because they truly are some of the best eerie on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments I've seen. Let's just say, lots of things start to go bump in the night, and it would seem that Nana and Pop Pop aren't as sweet and gentle as they appeared to be.
Rebecca and Tyler are believable and endearing narrators, and with the found footage scenario allows the audience to really experience the horror fully immersed. The scares come fast and thick throughout.
The trailer does not do the scares justice, there's a particular scene near the end when the siblings become separated including an incontinence pad and something under the bed... I have to admit, M.Night Shyamalan is fantastic on playing on a normal fear - when loved ones start to seem peculiar or perhaps suffering from dementia or an illness where they no longer seem recognisable.
The Visit however, takes this to a whole other level. I can't encourage you enough to give this a try. This is not the film for you if you're looking for blood and gore, this is a far more sinister, dark and thrilling cinematic venture.
'The Visit' is in cinemas now.
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