Film Review: The Visit

Two children, budding filmmaker Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), set off on a trip to the countryside to meet their maternal grandparents John and Doris (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie) for the first time. In the first seconds of the movie, the audience is aware of an unknown conflict between the children’s mother (Kathryn Hahn) and their grandparents. As a result, the mother cuts off all contact with the grandparents. Somehow, the grandparents reach out to the mother and, due to the incessant begging of Becca and Tyler, she finally allows them to be sent off to the remote Pennsylvania countryside for one week. Filmed as a “found footage” style movie, Becca films the experience as part of a documentary, which Becca calls an “elixir” to heal her mother. This style of filming may have become commonplace in the horror genre of films, but the way Becca treats the camera makes it unique. Although a bit cringe worthy at first, as the children act “naturally” in front of the camera, the audience eventually eases into the characters until it becomes somewhat natural. Speaking of cringe worthy, Tyler starts off his debut as an aspiring rapper, but he soon becomes the movie’s main source of humor.

When Becca and Tyler first meet John and Doris there is an immediate aroma of awkwardness, and it’s not from Doris’s home-baked goods. The vacant stares into the camera and the inability to answer Becca’s questions are a bit off-putting, but the excitement the children feel after meeting John and Doris (whom they almost immediately call Pop Pop and Nana) excuses the moment as feelings of unfamiliarity. As the days and nights unfold, Becca and Tyler discover something isn’t quite right with their grandparents. The absence of Wi-Fi, the isolated old farmhouse, and being told not to go into the basement all seem like red flags that point towards a horror scenario, but Becca serves as the voice of ignorance, continuously dissuading Tyler’s surprisingly acute observations. From Nana’s projectile puking at night, to Pop Pop attacking an innocent passerby, Becca and Tyler realize that returning home by the end of the week is becoming more and more hopeless.

With a special M. Night Shyamalan twist, the film is exciting and suspenseful. The audience knows that Pop Pop and Nana are insane, but the children want to believe they’re not, which makes their disbelief even more disconcerting. Despite its fair share of horror, there is also a good amount of hilarity, whether it’s dealing with Tyler’s antics or Nana’s absurdity. There are heartwarming moments, especially the sibling bond between Becca and Tyler.

The Visit isn’t a terrifying horror flick. For moviegoers looking for an unsettling, yet oddly relatable tale reminiscent of a modern day Hansel and Gretel, give this film a go.