This is my first time watching it so I'm pretty stoked. Ya'll know I am a firm believer in the shamalamadingdong come back.
The Visit came out last year and is found footage, although when watching it doesn't feel like the typical found footage. There's barely any shakey cam or blurred shots, which is kind of a nice break.
Rebecca and Tyler are two kids who are going to see their Grandparents for the first time. Their mother, Paula, has a bad relationship with her parents and so has never introduced them to her kids. Paula's husband left their family for another woman when the kids were younger but now Paula is finally dating and happy, so the kids decide that it would be good for the two of them to get out of town for the week and let their mom go on a cruise with her new boyfriend.
Rebecca is filming this whole thing because she's clearly interested in filming and directing. She's decided to make a documentary on their first visit to the grandparents.
First thoughts? This movie is beautifully colored. And I really dig the two kids - they're smart, believable and not that forced awkward acting that some young kids end up doing.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Once the kids arrive at their Grandparents house things start to get strange right off the back. The first night Rebecca sneaks out of bed to get some cookies, only to find her Grandma walking around projectile vomiting. When exploring, Tyler discovers a shed and inside finds an actual mountain of shit filled adult diapers. I was gagging.
In between these strange goings on, Tyler and Rebecca continue to film for the documentary. They interview both the Grandma and the Grandpa and even interview briefly with a few of the strangers who drop by. But at night things are getting weirder and weirder - they catch the Grandma naked scratching at the walls. The Grandpa explains all of this behavior saying she has what's called "Sundowning" which is dementia after dark. To simplify it.
There's also one night where they catch the Grandma running around in the house in the dark and then crawling around and ya'll that got me creeped out. Finally the kids decide to film the Grandma at night to see what's really going on, but when reviewing the footage they see that Grandma was trying to get into their room with a knife. This is when they call Paula and tell her all that's going on. But here's where it gets Shamalamadingdong....when Paula is shown her parents on camera...THEY'RE NOT THE GRANDPARENTS.
That's right, these kids were picked up by some total nutcases who had escaped from the asylum near by, killed the real Grandparents, and were hiding out in the house. The actual Grandparents volunteered at the asylum and probably let on that their grandchildren were coming to stay, prompting the nutcases to choose that time to escape. The reason the two of them were in the asylum was for drowning their own children, but the husband decided it was time for his wife to relive having children.....are you with me?
The nutcases catch onto the fact that kids now know what's going on and decide to torment and kill them. Including one scene with a dirty diaper that made me yell out in the middle of a busy airport. And will haunt me. Forever. But thanks to Rebecca being an actual bad ass, the kids manage to escape and their Mom shows up in the nick of time.
SPOILERS ENDED
You know what? It wasn't a masterpiece. And I'm sure people smarter than I figured out the twist almost right away. But I had a great time watching it, it was fun, it was fresh, the twist was shocking for me. And there were a few minor scares that got me.
The way people were talking about this film, it was like it was another The Happening. But it's not. It's a great little horror film that didn't disappoint me in any way. And the message of the film, about letting forgiveness in, and not holding onto anger, it was an important one and it gave the film some great emotional moments.
8/10
Anyway, as I'm finishing this up I am in my Mom's kitchen waiting for dinner. And tomorrow I get Christmas the sequel - presents and turkey!!!!
Stay spooky!
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