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Once upon a time, M. Night Shyamalan was the Next Big Thing. He took Hollywood by storm, earning a couple of Oscar nods in the process. But that was 16 ago. Since then, he’s struggled to recapture the success of The Sixth Sense, releasing everything from disappointments to downright disasters. But in working with a fraction of his usual budget for The Visit, he actually managed to produce a more interesting film.
The Visit follows a couple of teenagers as they travel to spend a week with their grandparents. Aspiring filmmaker Becca (Olivia DeJonge) decides to document the trip, determined to delve into the family’s history and maybe even help to mend old wounds as she and her younger brother, aspiring hip-hop superstar Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), meet their mother’s estranged parents.
At first, Nana and Pop Pop (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie) seem like any other lovably batty old people. But after the lights go out, their quirks take a disturbing turn.
Found footage-style thrillers seem to be (finally!) on the decline—a fact that comes as a relief to those of us with weaker stomachs. But Shyamalan plays with the gimmick well. This isn’t just another shaky, unfocused movie that will have audiences fearing more for the contents of their stomach than for the characters. Instead, the format offers a simple way to develop the characters and their story. And when it does get shaky and unfocused, it’s for a good reason—and it makes some of the scares all the more disorienting. Though they’re generally cheap scares, they’re still effective.
In fact, the film is darker and scarier than you might expect. Though it’s billed as a horror-comedy, this isn’t a true horror-comedy, with non-stop laughs and over-played horror. It simply maintains a lighter tone, throwing the occasional laughs into a story that avoids taking itself too seriously. Unfortunately, some of the humor feels rather mean-spirited, mocking the elderly characters for things that are completely out of their control—but it does have some genuine, good-natured laughs, too.
Of course, Shyamalan is notorious for giving all of his films some kind of a game-changing twist in the end—which means that it’s hard to settle into the story and enjoy it for what it is. Instead, most viewers will be constantly on edge, analyzing each scene in search of the director’s hints and misdirection. (Note to Shyamalan: if you really want to shock audiences, try skipping the twist next time.) And while the twist here is a little too convenient—and not especially shocking—it brings the film to a fittingly disturbing conclusion.
Is The Visit another Sixth Sense? No. But it’s eerie and unsettling and entertaining—and it’s sure to have you hiding your face and maybe even jumping out of your seat. And that alone makes it Shyamalan’s most successful film in years.
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