By Melissa Antoinette Garza
When I saw the original trailer for The Visit (2015). I knew I wanted to see it. It looked like a creepy version of Hansel and Gretel. Even though M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed it, I was still intrigued. Despite the negative press, Shyamalan was the man who created Unbreakable (2000) and shocked movie-goers in The Sixth Sense (1999). I’m of the philosophy that not every movie can be a winner and I don’t write people off so easy.
Sure, he had some bad movies. Everyone jumps on The Happening (2008). I never saw it, but from what I have seen, I’d most likely agree with the majority. That said, we shouldn’t throw out the good just because some films were bad.
The Visit opens with pre-teen Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler’s (Ed Oxenbould) single mom (Kathryn Hahn) going on a cruise. She leaves the kids with her estranged parents. She hadn’t seen them in years and the subject was a a sore one she didn’t want to discuss. Still, she wanted her kids to get to know them.
She drops them off and Becca films everything for a documentary. She hopes to get to the bottom of why her mom left. Immediately, Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) appear thrilled to have them. Nana makes cookies and Pop Pop loves hearing Tyler’s awful rapping. Yes, Tyler raps and it’s the worst thing in the film. It actually makes me root for him to be killed during much of the production. I don’t blame the actor. This one has to be on Shyamalan.
That said, Shyamalan did utilize the found-footage style to make some tense scenes. Things quickly begin to go downhill for Tyler and Becca and their grandparents begin acting insane. They’re told not to leave their room after 9:30 but when they sneak out for something to eat, they see Nana clawing at a door naked. Later, when the kids are playing underneath the home Nana is right on top of them. This is probably the best example within the movie that shows how this sub-genre can be done right. It’s the shifting of the camera from Becky that reveals Nana chasing them.
Becca is told that Nana has a mental disorder and soon they find out she’s not the only one. At one point, concerned about Nana, Becca runs to tell Pop Pop and finds him with a shotgun ready to commit suicide.
This isn’t the most terrifying movie in the universe, but it certainly isn’t a movie for children. It has the Hansel and Gretel feel to it, but some action sequences are creepy enough to give adult nightmares.
The conclusion is surprising and done exceptionally well. Kathryn Hahn is an actress that can do anything. Her comedic skills are great, as shown in films like We are the Millers (2013), Anchorman (2004) and most recently one of the best shows on TV Comedy Bang Bang. As far as dramatic roles, her character in the Amazon TV hit Transparent (2014) was fantastically portrayed. Hahn was believable as a romantic interest of the lead character’s son. Though still funny at times, she was able to make the audience root for her by expressing a level of sensitivity and dedication despite her short screen time and minimal dialogue.
Similarly, in The Visit, Hahn is only in a few scenes, but when things go wrong and her character dives into mom mode, it’s amazing. It almost makes you forget about the terrible rapping of Tyler. I don’t mean to get down on the kid. Overall, he did a really good job otherwise, but this part of the movie which was supposed to be sweet and funny was just unbearable.
All in all, the acting, writing, directing, and plot of the film came together and made something that not only is watch-able, but has re-watch value.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10 Shyamalan is Back and he knows it!
