The Visit Review

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie

Cert: 15

The Story: A mother sends her children off to meet her parents for the first time, which is nice...Or is it?

Ah yes, I know what you're all thinking; that M Night guy used to be hot shit when he was younger, but these days not so much hot as just plain old shit.

Yes he made The Happening and that film about benders (stop that guffawing, they bend air and other elements), however, he also gave us the hat-trick of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs before the cracks appeared. One great film is luck you could say, but three? The guys got talent.

So it's pleasing to report that he is on the comeback trail with the visit.

Switching to a self financed low budget picture via the very successful Blumhouse pictures has been to his benefit; stripping it down and keeping it simple is the order of the day.

It's found footage format offers nothing new and as with all films of its type, stretches the credible use of the cameras, but not to the detriment of movies flow or our patience. 

The Visit is in turns scary, unexpectedly funny and well held together by the two young leads (DeJonge & Oxenbould) who head off to meet nana and pop-pop at their farm. It's always a hallmark of quality when the jumps and freaky moments are delivered in broad daylight as well as out of the dark, and so it's goes that Shyamalan has been able to deliver these so effectively here.

As this is Shyamalan joint there's a twist; its an oldie but a goodie as they say and well worth the wait.

A return to form then and hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

The Verdict: 3/5