The Visit

Up until the uniform Blumhouse Productions ending, a very successful and understated bit of paranoia that will remind many of the anguished multiple-day visits to the grandparents when Mom and Dad wanted to be free of the little brats and revive their flagging sex life. Shyamalan's brokeback mountain of an ego, after all his disasters, is finally focused more on the viewer than on himself, yet still tries to sell a certain distinctiveness with it that leaves the viewer wondering until the end whether the characters are still acting okay or whether we're over the edge. For me, satisfaction and extra credit for some really strong yet subtle horror moments, see the oven cleaning or the game of hide and seek. (04/01/2016)

After a long time a film that took me out of my “safe space” and caused some unpleasant feelings, which in my book is the most important indicator of really well made horror, and it needed less than thirty minutes for it – that hide and seek game already made feel a little unsettled. The film tells the story of two siblings who go on holidays to visit their grandparents, whom they’ve never met. The relationships in the family are not in the best shape, something happened to the mother of the kids and she ran away from home, but now it seems that the grandparents want to see their grandchildren at least once. The kids are fine with it and want to make a documentary about the visit. Gradually, though, it begins to be clear that something is not right with granny and grandpa. Can that be only because of senility or is there something else at play? And what about the almost unnatural night movements and the stubbornness of the grandmother, who wants her granddaughter to get into the oven? :) The Visit is above all perfect casting, both the old couple and the kids are very convincing. During the scary scenes, the grandparents look really creepy, while the kids are very likeable and funny guides in the story. And that’s where the fun is, even thought it’s not a comedy (not even with a “horror” prefix), there are plenty of parts that make you laugh. Basically, horror with a sense for black humour. Not even the found-footage or mockumentary format is a problem here, the camera is not too shaky, on the contrary, the creators have tried to put together very nice shots. Succinctly and simply put, thank you very much Blumhouse for resurrecting Shyalaman, who, by the way, is having a very good year (I like Wayward Pines). Hopefully, this collaboration will continue and the Indian director will stay on similar grounds. 9/10 (26/09/2015)

Shyamalan, jump in the sea already! The famous director has a reputation, a quality cast, better resources and technical possibilities, but his found footage is more boring than Petr Jákl’s. To be fair, some of the subtly creepy and distressing scenes, like the night shots of the frantic grandmother or the opening game of hide-and-seek, work well, and the film can also be credited with likeable child protagonists and a well-crafted narrative form, but the tension doesn't build-up consistently, there are few truly scary moments, and in the final minutes the script wasn’t just disappointing, it was awful. Another desperate attempt to reset the quality of the former machine for dense atmosphere fails again, perhaps next time... 50% (29/11/2015)

M. Night Shyamalan has proven and directed a film that is evidence of his talent and his ideas that are worth filming and that you want to see. Or maybe you don't want to because they can be quite oppressive at times. This is a film that will deliver exactly the horror atmosphere you crave in a horror movie. And finally, the story itself is truly interesting, and you want to know how it will actually end. (13/10/2015)

Yes, he's back. And yes, it makes me happier than anyone else. This is the found footage concept squeezed to the last drop, a masterful work with escalating tension and an epic double finale where the bedroom one almost stares the one from [REC] in the eye. But above all (and this is what quality horror films are usually about), the film has two great central child actors. I can't remember other protagonists that I cared so much about, rooted for, and experienced so strongly along with them. If the next one is thicker, I’ll give it full stars. 4 ½. (28/09/2015)