If you are looking for some laughs and thrills to liven up your Saturday night, head to Tinseltown and buy a ticket for M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Visit.”
The film, starring relatively unknown, young Australian actors, depicts two children intent on creating a documentary of their first trip to their grandparents’ home.
Their mother has been estranged from her parents for several years, and at their request, has sent Rebecca and Tyler on a visit to finally meet their aging grandparents.
It becomes apparent early on that the grandparents are not in the right state of mind.
They are ill, or so they say, and their behavior after 9:30 at night is enough to make you distrust the elderly in general.
Thrills depicted in the movie’s trailers live up to their potential, and several jump scares will send you shrieking from your seat. Despite the concept of the film, it does not entirely live up to the truly horrifying expectations.
Additionally, the acting was not very strong.
While the character of Tyler brings much-needed humor to the film, his tendency to break out into rap causes a level of cringe-inducing discomfort.
The character of Rebecca uses words that are too large for a young teenager and takes herself too seriously, leading viewers not to take her seriously enough.
For a horror film, “The Visit” was sub-par and as a comedy, it was mediocre.
I only rate it a 2.5 out of 5.