When the genre of found-footage horror films was invented, this was partly due to phenomena such as The Blair Witch Project. Since then, hundreds of similar films have been made that follow a similar suspenseful style, with the main characters being camera recorders. In 2015, fans were treated to a terrifying film called The Visit, where two siblings quickly become entangled in a dangerous situation. Directed by the legendary M. Night Shyamalan, the movie follows the story of Becca and Tyler, who go on vacation to stay with their grandparents. However, their grandparents’ disturbing behaviour begins to frighten them, and it is soon revealed that things aren’t as they seem.
The synopsis on Rotten Tomatoes teases: “Becca and Tyler head deep into Pennsylvania farm country to meet their maternal grandparents for the first time. Welcomed by Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie), all seems well until the siblings start to notice increasingly strange behaviour from the seemingly charming couple.”
Critics gave the film plenty of praise after its release, commending the director for proving how much of a gifted writer he really is. One critic said on Rotten Tomatoes: “While Shyamalan doesn’t reinvent the wheel with “The Visit”, he does show the creative flourishes that made him a respected name and overnight success in the horror-thriller genre.”
Another critic commented: “M. Night Shyamalan needed people to be on his side. Thankfully, with The Visit, a found footage horror movie with more than its share of humor, he finally got me back on his side.”
What about viewers at home? One audience member said on IMDb: “True horror is back folks. Ignore the bad hype from the multiplex popcorn crowd. This is a real gem that deserves to be among the very best horror titles of recent years and it will creep you out if you like your suspense atmospheric.”
Another also said: “It’s amazing how this film manages to be so wonderfully terrifying without the use of much cgi or special effects. A couple of points in the film I yelped and let out a nervous laughter (and I’m a tough guy).”
A third also chimed in: “I was expecting a traditional horror film but this was more of a thriller, in my opinion, leaving me pleasantly surprised. Simple but solid story, just what I was in the mood for, with both scary and comic moments (unexpected!), and a great twist to finish it all off.”
The Visit can be streamed on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime.