By Jamil Oakford/ managing editor
Visiting one’s grandparents has never been so stressful or creepy.
The Visit, directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan, is a departure for him. This movie doesn’t necessarily feel like a Shyamalan film, and in earnest, that’s a good thing.
A really good thing considering his last few films.
The film follows Becca and her little brother Tyler as Becca embarks on a documentary about the relationship between her mother and their estranged grandparents.
And while Becca is eager to spend time with them and also retrace her mother’s footsteps as a teenager, she and her brother are noticing there’s something amiss with the older couple.
Between the loud nightly adventures their grandmother embarks on and the odd paranoia that seems to show in their grandfather, the fear shared between the siblings is palpable and ultimately shared by the audience.
Shyamalan isn’t known for giving a quality plot twist, but the one that pops up in the last 20 minutes of this film is utterly horrifying. It’s the first time I’ve been frozen in my seat, terrified for what would happen next.
Photos courtesy Universal Studios
That being said, the strength of this movie lies in Shyamalan’s ability to take the camera and create this unbearable tension between characters. He gives contrast between eerily peaceful exterior shots and the growing discomfort of the siblings around their grandparents.
But even bigger than fearing the grandparents, there’s a bigger, fuller message that can speak to a broader audience, which is nice.
While this is definitely a horror film, this isn’t a typical one. While it follows the formula quite well, it’s thrown out the window in the last 20 minutes.
Overall, this is definitely worth buying a ticket to see in theaters. It’s the perfect amount of creepy to keep a horror fan satisfied.
