Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, The Visit hit theaters on Sept. 11 and was the top movie at the box office its opening weekend. The movie is formatted as a documentary being produced by one of the main characters, Becca. She and her brother, Tyler, spend the week with their grandparents whom they have not met before. Seeing as this is a horror film, the touching family bonding lasted only a few hours before the grandparents began acting strange.
The grandparents’ odd behavior at night (clawing at walls, grabbing knives, throwing up, etc.) is explained in the movie as “sundowning”. This is a real syndrome found in dementia patients that causes restlessness and confusion during the night.
Before I go any further, I have a disclaimer- I really hate horror films. I usually find the plots cliche and the characters underdeveloped. Although, my main issue with horror films is how easily I get scared. Honestly, scary movies are often not worth my money because I get so freaked out I spend most of the movie with my eyes shut and my ears covered.
That being said, I really enjoyed this movie (and I did actually keep my eyes and ears open). Rather than being afraid, I found myself laughing through a lot of the movie. Although there were a few jump scares, slightly scary moments, and a huge plot twist, there was plenty of comedic relief. It’s not high class humor, but some of the characters are easy to laugh at. I was especially amused by the 13-year-old brother, an aspiring rapper who compares himself to Tyler, The Creator.
If you’re looking for something to leave you terrified, I wouldn’t recommend The Visit. However, if you’re hoping to find something funny with a bit of a thrill this might be worth checking out.